With offseason activities limited to online-only and no football getting played, we decided to take a look back at some of the great offensive players who’ve rolled through San Francisco since the team’s rise to dominance in the early 1980s. There’ve been some ups and downs since then, but the club has continued to churn out high-quality NFL talent.
We used a five-by-five grid, divided by dollar amounts and players, and allotted $15 to build the ultimate 49ers offense using players who’ve suited up for San Francisco since 1980.
Here’s the grid, along with the case for each player:
Quarterbacks
$5, Joe Montana: He’s on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time great NFL quarterbacks and won four Super Bowls under center in San Francisco.
$4, Steve Young: A two-time MVP who led the NFL in completion rate five times, touchdown passes four times and guided the 49ers to their last Super Bowl win.
$3, Jeff Garcia: His run in San Francisco was short, but he set the franchise single-season record for passing yards with 4,278 in his second season, and he went to the Pro Bowl three times.
$2, Colin Kaepernick: Organizational tumult and injuries stunted Kaepernick’s growth as a quarterback, but he still threw 72 touchdowns against just 30 interceptions. His skill set would be even better in 2020’s offensive landscape where coaches are better at adapting offenses to quarterbacks’ skill sets.
$1, Alex Smith: Smith overcame a disastrous start and put together a really nice career. He’s steady, won’t turn the ball over, and showed he’s a quality quarterback when surrounded by weapons and good coaching.
Running backs
$5, Frank Gore: He’s the franchises’s all-time leading rusher, the No. 3 rusher in NFL history, and he’s dynamite in blitz pickup.
$4, Roger Craig: Craig revolutionized his position and was the first ever running back to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
$3, Garrison Hearst: Injuries in his prime were the only thing stopping Hearst from putting together a potential Hall of Fame career. If he’s healthy he probably puts together seven 1,000-yard seasons with San Francisco.
$2, Wendell Tyler: Tyler spent the final four years of his career with the 49ers, but still made a Pro Bowl, won a Super Bowl, and averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 624 attempts.
$1, Ricky Watters: Watters only played for three seasons in San Francisco, but he won a Super Bowl, went to three Pro Bowls and racked up 25 touchdowns on the ground and eight in the air.
Wide receivers
$5, Jerry Rice: Obviously.
$4, Terrell Owens: Also, obviously.
$3, Dwight Clark: While ‘The Catch’ sits atop Clark’s resumé, he also earned an All-Pro nod, went to two Pro Bowls, led the NFL in catches in 1982, and hauled in 48 touchdowns in an eight-season span from 1980-87.
$2, John Taylor: It took a couple years for Taylor to get rolling as a receiver, but he developed into a very good No. 2 option across from Jerry Rice. He went to two Pro Bowls, once as a return man and once as a receiver.
$1, Michael Crabtree: An Achilles tear kept Crabtree from building on a tremendous 2012 season. He was undeniably talented though and is the last receiver drafted by the 49ers to have 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
Tight ends
$5, George Kittle: His career has only just begun, but three years in it’s pretty clear Kittle is the best tight end in 49ers history.
$4, Vernon Davis: Davis changed the game at tight end. His combination of size and athleticism made him a matchup nightmare, and his numbers would’ve been hall-of-fame worthy had the 49ers been better during the early part of his career.
$3, Brent Jones: Davis and Kittle’s big numbers overshadow Jones’ very strong career in red and gold. He had 5,195 career receiving yards, 33 touchdowns catches, four Pro Bowl nods and three Super Bowl rings.
$2, Eric Johnson: Johnson is another player who fell victim to some bad 49ers clubs. He also missed the 2003 and 2005 seasons which hurt his production. Still, he earned 117 targets in 2004 and pulled down 82 catches for 825 yards and two touchdowns.
$1, Russ Francis: He spent five-and-a-half years of his career in San Francisco and put up strong numbers on some excellent 49ers clubs. He never had one big season, but he was steady and churned out 2,105 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches.