15-11
15. CB Ahmed Plummer | 2000 | Pick 24
Plummer put together a nice six-year career in San Francisco, although he played just nine games his final two years. His first four seasons were very strong though. He started 59 of his 61 games, and posted 12 interceptions with 60 pass breakups.
14. DL Arik Armstead | 2015 | Pick 17
Armstead is in similar spot to Ward where his 2019 season outdid the rest of his career. The Oregon alum has always been a good run defender when healthy, but he found his way as a pass rusher with a team-high 10.0 in 2019. Injuries limited Armstead to 30 games in his first three years, but he played full seasons in 2018 and 2019, and could wind up climbing higher on this list if he continues to be productive in a 49ers uniform in 2020 and beyond.
13. SS Eric Reid | 2013 | Pick 18
While Reid never went back to the Pro Bowl after his strong rookie year, he was still a fine player on some not-so-good 49ers teams. He wound up changing positions multiple times, including a shift to linebacker in his final year with the team. Despite organizational turmoil, Reid started 69 of 70 games in five years with the club, and notched 318 tackles, four tackles for loss, 10 interceptions and 34 pass breakups.
12. QB Alex Smith | 2005 | Pick 1
Smith is a tough one to place because he was not very good considering his status as a No. 1 overall pick. He won just 19 of his first 50 starts, and tossed 51 touchdowns with 53 interceptions while completing just 57.1 percent of his throws. Jim Harbaugh’s arrival in 2011 turned Smith’s 49ers tenure around though. He racked up a 13-3 record with an historic playoff win in 2011, and was playing well in 2012 before an injury opened the door for Colin Kaepernick to take over as the starter. There’s an argument to push Smith lower on this list, but the playoff win over the Saints in the 2012 divisional round is enough to move him to No. 12.
11. DE Andre Carter | 2001 | Pick 7
Carter had a nice five-year career with the 49ers as the No. 7 overall pick out of Cal. He 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a rookie, and put up 32 sacks and 43 tackles for loss across 69 games in San Francisco. The latter portion of his time in a 49ers uniform came on some very bad teams, which probably aided in his productivity decline, but he had 12.5 sacks for a playoff team in 2002, and may have been a more consistently dominant edge rusher with better talent around him.