List of San Francisco 49ers first-round draft picks explained

The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners)^[1] are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference West Division.^[2] The team, founded in 1944 by Tony Morabito, is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush.^[3] The 49ers joined the NFL prior to the start of the 1950 NFL season. Since 2014 they have played their home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located southeast of San Francisco.^{[4] [5] [6]}

The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting",^{[7] [8] [9]} is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment.^[10] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.^[11] From through the NFL designated the first overall selection as a "bonus" or "lottery pick". The pick was awarded by a random draw and the winner who received the "bonus pick" forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft and became ineligible for future draws. The system was abolished prior to the 1959 NFL draft, as all twelve teams in the league at the time had received a bonus choice.^{[12] [13]}

Since the team's first NFL draft in 1950, the 49ers have selected 87 players in the first round. The team's first-round pick in their inaugural NFL draft was Leo Nomellini, a defensive tackle from the University of Minnesota; he was the 11th overall selection.^[14] The 49ers have drafted first overall three times, selecting Harry Babcock in 1953, Dave Parks in 1964, and Alex Smith in 2005.^[15] In the most recent draft, held in 2024, the 49ers chose Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.^[16]

The 49ers did not draft a player in the first round on ten occasions. Nine of the team's first-round picks—Lance Alworth, Jimmy Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Hugh McElhenny, Leo Nomellini, Jerry Rice, Y. A. Tittle, Patrick Willis, and Bryant Young—have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; one of these, Lance Alworth, chose to sign with the NFL's pre-merger direct competitor, the American Football League (AFL), and never played for the 49ers.^{[17] [18]}

Player selections

Key

Symbol	Meaning
	Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
	Selected number one overall

Position abbreviations
C	Center
CB	Cornerback
DB	Defensive back
DE	Defensive end
DT	Defensive tackle
FB	Fullback
FL	Flanker
G	Guard
HB	Halfback
LB	Linebacker
QB	Quarterback
RB	Running back
S	Safety
T	Tackle
TE	Tight end
WR	Wide receiver

Season! scope="col"

Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1950	11		DT	Minnesota
1951	3		QB	LSU
1952	9		HB	Washington
1953	1		TE	Georgia	Lottery bonus pick^[19]
	10		TE	Texas
1954	11		QB	Maryland
1955	10		HB	Rice
1956	2		QB	Michigan State
1957	3		QB	Stanford
1958	8		HB	Michigan	Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers
	9		DT	Texas A&M
1959	5		QB	Oklahoma
	8		C	Ohio State	Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers
1960	11		TE	Notre Dame
1961	6		CB	UCLA	Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers
	9		WR	Bowling Green State
	11		QB	UCLA	Pick received from Baltimore Colts
1962	8		FL	Arkansas	Signed for the AFL's San Diego Chargers instead
1963	8		DB	UCLA
1964	1		WR	Texas Tech
1965	2		FB	North Carolina
	13		DB	Illinois	Pick received from Cleveland Browns
1966	11		T	Ole Miss
1967	3		QB	Florida	Pick received from Atlanta Falcons
	11		TE	Northwestern
1968	15		C	Auburn
1969	7		TE	Penn State	Pick received from New Orleans Saints
	16		WR	Stanford
1970	9		DE	North Texas
	17		DB	Boston	Pick received from Washington Redskins
1971	23		DB	Ohio State
1972	19		WR
1973	18		DB	Texas Southern
1974	9		RB	Alabama	Pick received from New England Patriots
	10		DT	UCLA
1975	10		DT	Mississippi State
1976		Pick traded to New England Patriots
1977		Pick traded to New England Patriots
1978	7		TE	Notre Dame
	24		LB	Long Beach State	Pick received from Miami Dolphins
1979		Pick traded to Buffalo Bills
1980	13		RB	Rice	Moved down draft order in trade with New York Jets
	20		DT	Clemson	Pick received from New York Jets
1981	8		DB	USC
1982		Pick traded to New England Patriots
1983		Pick traded to San Diego Chargers
1984	24		LB	BYU
1985	16		WR	Mississippi Valley State	Moved up draft order in trade with New England Patriots
1986		Moved down draft order in trades with Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills
1987	22		T	North Carolina
	25		RB	Clemson	Pick received from Washington Redskins
1988		Moved down draft order in trade with Los Angeles Raiders
1989	28		LB	Tennessee
1990	25		RB	Florida State
1991	25		DT	Louisville
1992	18		DB	Washington
1993	26		DT	Kansas	Pick received from Kansas City Chiefs and used to move down draft order in trades with Phoenix Cardinals and New Orleans Saints
	27		DT	Tennessee
1994	7		DT	Notre Dame	Pick received from San Diego Chargers and used to move up draft order in trade with Los Angeles Rams
	28		RB	Florida State	Moved down draft order in trade with Dallas Cowboys
1995	10		WR	UCLA	Moved up draft order in trade with Cleveland Browns
1996		Pick traded to Cleveland Browns
1997	26		QB
1998	28		CB
1999	24		DT	Florida	Moved up draft order in trade with Miami Dolphins
2000	16		LB	Michigan State	Moved down draft order in trade with Washington Redskins and New York Jets
	24		CB	Ohio State	Pick received from Washington Redskins
2001	7		DE	California	Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks
2002	27		CB	Miami (FL)
2003	26		T	Stanford
2004	31		WR	Oklahoma State	Moved down draft order in trades with Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers
2005	1		QB	Utah
2006	6		TE	Maryland
	22		LB	North Carolina State	Moved up draft order in trade with Denver Broncos
2007	11		LB	Ole Miss
	28		T	Central Michigan	Pick received from New England Patriots
2008	29		DT	North Carolina	Original pick traded to New England Patriots. Moved up draft order in trade with Indianapolis Colts.
2009	10		WR
2010	11		T	Rutgers	Moved up draft order in trade with Denver Broncos
	17		G	Idaho	Pick received from Carolina Panthers
2011	7		LB	Missouri
2012	30		WR	Illinois
2013	18		S	LSU	Moved up draft order in trade with Dallas Cowboys
2014	30		S	Northern Illinois
2015	17		DE	Oregon	Moved down draft order in trade with San Diego Chargers
2016	7		DE	Oregon
	28		G	Stanford	Moved up draft order in trade with Kansas City Chiefs
2017	3		DE	Stanford	Moved down draft order in trade with Chicago Bears
	31		LB	Alabama	Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks
2018	9		T	Notre Dame
2019	2		DE	Ohio State
2020	14		DT	South Carolina	Pick received from Indianapolis Colts. Moved down draft order in trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
	25		WR	Arizona State	Moved up draft order in trade with Minnesota Vikings
2021	3		QB	North Dakota State	Moved up draft order in trade with Miami Dolphins
2022		Pick traded to Miami Dolphins
2023		Pick traded to Miami Dolphins
2024	31		WR	Florida

See also

• San Francisco 49ers draft history
• History of the San Francisco 49ers
• List of San Francisco 49ers seasons

Notes and References

1. Web site: San Francisco Forty Niners Company Information . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170813010551/http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.san_francisco_forty_niners.b6b3a205975e542b.html . August 13, 2017 . August 12, 2017 . Dun & Bradstreet.
2. Web site: Astbury . Matt . How many teams are in the NFL? Who plays in which division? . . June 17, 2024 . en-CA . April 10, 2023 . June 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240628193920/https://www.dazn.com/en-CA/news/american-football/how-many-teams-are-in-the-nfl-who-plays-in-which-division/13wrouygqbx6i10bvjo1kz2ljj . live .
3. Web site: The Founder . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022442/https://www.49ers.com/history/founder . May 8, 2019 . May 8, 2019 . San Francisco 49ers.
4. Web site: Team Facts . . December 6, 2023 . August 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801065259/https://www.profootballhof.com/teams/san-francisco-49ers/team-facts/ . live .
5. Web site: Sanchez . Derrick . What 49ers Had to Say about First Game at Levi's Stadium . . December 12, 2023 . August 19, 2014 . March 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323212152/https://www.levisstadium.com/2014/08/49ers-say-first-game-levis-stadium/ . live .
6. Web site: Atlas . Beth . April 19, 2022 . On This Day in The Bay: Levi's Stadium Groundbreaking Ceremony . December 12, 2023 . . February 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221101246/https://www.49ers.com/news/on-this-day-in-the-bay-levi-s-stadium-groundbreaking-ceremony . live .
7. Web site: NFL Draft Profile – NFL Draft . . February 7, 2024 . December 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231217031316/http://www.espn.com/nfldraft/research/event/profile?eventId=0 . live .
8. News: Sam . Farmer . What makes them tick . . February 7, 2024 . April 26, 2008 . February 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240207135240/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-26-sp-nfl26-story.html . live .
9. Web site: Chad . Reuter . Who will be the best pro RB? Martin vs. Miller vs. Wilson . . February 7, 2024 . April 13, 2012 . June 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610122157/https://www.nfl.com/news/who-will-be-the-best-pro-rb-martin-vs-miller-vs-wilson-09000d5d8284a7d0 . live .
10. Web site: NFL 2021 Draft date: when and where is it taking place? . . en-us . February 18, 2021 . November 15, 2023 . January 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220129070037/https://en.as.com/en/2021/02/18/nfl/1613653757_815367.html . live .
11. Web site: The rules of the NFL Draft . . November 14, 2023 . November 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101040705/https://operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-nfl-draft/the-rules-of-the-draft/ . live .
12. Web site: Official 2023 National Football League Record & Fact Book . . December 11, 2023 . 529 . Signora . Michael . Gilbert . Zak . Drexler . Sam . Enos . Cody . Romanko . Reilly . June 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627221115/https://operations.nfl.com/media/nppjkdp1/2023-record-and-fact-book.pdf . live .
13. Web site: Hall of Famers by Draft Round . . November 14, 2023 . en . April 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425164300/https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-by-draft-round/ . live .
14. Web site: 1950 NFL Draft Listing . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240515210020/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1950/draft.htm . May 15, 2024 . live . December 12, 2023 .
15. Web site: San Francisco 49ers All-Time Draft History . . December 5, 2023 . en . March 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190327184552/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/draft.htm . live .
16. Web site: Russo . Ralph D. . 2024 NFL Draft: List of first round picks . . April 26, 2024 . en . April 26, 2024 . April 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240426090416/https://apnews.com/article/nfl-draft-2024-list-first-round-picks-9ec2cdb77fbeefdd5d7aacfaa3da9b74 . live .
17. Web site: Lance Alworth . . December 6, 2023 . en . May 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524151553/https://www.profootballhof.com/players/lance-alworth/ . live .
18. Web site: Astbury . Matt . April 12, 2023 . Why are there divisions and conferences in the NFL? How do they work? . December 7, 2023 . . en-CA . December 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231208031203/https://www.dazn.com/en-CA/news/football/why-are-there-divisions-and-conferences-in-the-nfl-how-do-they-work/1shbb9cpvf4th1iwph93x97hgp . live .
19. Web site: The 1953 NFL Draft . . December 5, 2023 . en . January 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127203907/https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/nfl-draft-history/1950/53/ . live .