Thirty Years of Niner # 1 Draft Picks

Here for your information, education, joy, and despair are the last thirty years of Niner first round draft picks in the NFL Draft. Of course, one pick does not make an entire draft, but number one picks are very important commodities. Please note there were a number of years where the Niners did not have a number one pick, due to it being traded before, or during the draft. Sometimes this maneuvering produced sheer brilliance, as was the case with the Bill Walsh draft of 1986 where he traded two number ones, and a number two, to acquire numerous lower round picks in that draft. The result? He drafted Larry Roberts, Tom Rathman, Tim McKyer, John Taylor, Charles Haley, Steve Wallace, Kevin Fagan and Don Grffiin. Walsh’s draft of 1986 is considered one of the best in the history of the NFL, perhaps only eclipsed by the 1974 Pittsburgh Steeler draft which yielded Jack Lambert, Mike Webster, Lynn Swan, and John Stallworth, all Hall of Famer’s. Then there was 1995 when the Niners traded their number one, two, three, and four picks to move up and pick wide receiver J.J. Stokes from UCLA. As you’ll see below, making a number one pick is not an “exact science.”

1967: Steve Spurrier, QB, Florida, Cas Banazak, LB, Northwestern

1968: Forrest Blue, C, Auburn

1969: Ted Kwalick, TE, Penn State, Gene Washington, WR, Stanford

1970: Cedrick Hardman, DE, North Texas, Bruce Taylor, DB, Boston U.

1971: Tim Anderson, CB, Ohio State

1972: Terry Beasley, WR, Auburn

1973: Mike Holmes, CB, Texas Southern

1974: Wilber Jackson, RB, Alabama, Bill Sandifer, DT, UCLA

1975: Jimmy Webb, DT, Mississippi State

1976, 1977: No number one pick

1978: Ken McAfee, TE, Notre Dame, Dan Bunz, LB, Long Beach State

1979, 1980: No number one pick

1981: Ronnie Lott, CB, USC

1982, 1983: No number one pick

1984: Todd Shell, LB, BYU

1985: Jerry Rice, WR, Mississippi Valley State

1986: No number one pick

1987: Harris Barton, OT, North Carolina, Terrance Flagler, RB, Clemson

1988: No number one pick

1989: Keith DeLong, LB, Tennessee

1990: Dexter Carter, RB, Florida State

1991: Ted Washington, DT, Lousiville

1992: Dana Hall, S, Washington

1993: No number one pick

1994: Bryant Young, DT, Notre Dame, William Floyd, FB, Florida State

1995: J.J. Stokes, WR, UCLA

1996: No number one pick

1997: Jim Druckenmiller, QB, Virginia Tech

1998: R.W. McQuarters, CB, Oklahoma State

1999: Reggie McGrew, DT, Florida

2000: Julian Peterson, LB, Michigan State, Ahmed Plummer, CB, Ohio State

2001: Andre Carter, DE, California

2002: Mike Rumph, CB, Miami, Fl.

2003: Kwame Harris, OT, Stanford

2004: Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State

2005: Alex Smith, QB, Utah

2006: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland, Manny Lawson, LB, N.C. State

2007: Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi, Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan

2008: Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina

2009: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech