In case anyone has been living under a rock, the 49ers sent DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 13 pick at the start of the 2020 league year. The trade itself had ramifications beyond just Buckner for the draft pick, but ultimately the success of the trade for San Francisco will be determined by how well the players they receive with that selection perform in the NFL.
History shows the 49ers are due to hit on a player with the No. 13 pick. Of their 83 first-round picks since 1950, only two have come at that draft slot.
The first time they used the No. 13 pick was in 1965 when they selected University of Illinois defensive back George Donnelly. He started five of his 14 games as a rookie, then started all seven of his games in Year 2, and finished the season with his only two career interceptions. He played in 12 games with seven starts in his third and final season. That year there were only 14 teams, so missing on the No. 13 pick wasn’t as bad as it would be in 2020.
San Francisco had more luck with their second ever No. 13 pick, which came in 1980. That year they took running back Earl Cooper out of Rice.
While Cooper didn’t put up monster numbers in his career – 1,152 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 298 carries – he played an important role in 49ers history, paving the way for Roger Craig as a dual threat player out of the backfield. In his first season, Cooper ran it 171 times for 720 yards and five touchdowns, while also pulling in 83 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns. He was the second player in NFL history to eclipse 170 carries and 80 receptions.
He never topped that production though and saw his numbers dip over the next two years behind Ricky Patton and Jeff Moore before Craig stepped in in 1983 alongside Wendell Tyler. Cooper spent six total seasons in San Francisco, but never reached the ceiling he set for himself with a stellar rookie season.
For the 49ers in 2020, they have to do better than the contributions the organization has gotten the last two times they picked 13th. Luckily for San Francisco, draft picks from 55 and 40 years ago won’t have any bearing on this year. They do need to hit on the pick though and have them contribute meaningful snaps early and often in order to stay in Super Bowl contention and come out on the right side of the Buckner trade.
[vertical-gallery id=654123]