Draft busts are part of life in the NFL. While failed first-round picks tend to get the ‘bust’ label, picks from the second round that fail can have an equally adverse impact. Our friends at Touchdown Wire took a look at the worst second-round bust for each team since 2000.
For the 49ers, it was USC safety Taylor Mays.
San Francisco selected Mays No. 49 overall in the 2010 draft. Mays blew up the combine with a 4.31 40-yard dash, a 41-inch vertical and a 125-inch broad jump. He did all of that at 6-3, 220 pounds.
During his days at USC, Mays looked the part of a future Hall of Famer. The workout numbers only confirmed that.
San Francisco was on the edge of playoff contention in 2010, and Mays appeared to be the player that was going to help elevate their defense to an elite level.
He wound up starting only six games, and his most notable play came in a loss to Atlanta his rookie year when he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown.
The 49ers wound up trading Mays to the Bengals for a 2013 seventh-round pick before his second season.
San Francisco wound up going to the NFC championship game the three years after trading Mays, so the swing and miss wasn’t a huge organizational setback.
However, Mays’ athleticism and failure to translate that to success in the NFL was extremely disappointing.
On a list that includes LaMichael James, Chilo Rachal and Tank Carradine, Mays stands out above them all.
