Ranking 49ers pairs of 1st-round picks

The 49ers have selected two players in the first round of the NFL draft 14 times since the AFL-NFL merger.

No. 10 | 1980 draft

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Pick 13: RB Earl Cooper
Pick 20: DE Jim Stuckey

Cooper’s rookie season was outstanding. He posted 720 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 171 carries. That was coupled with 83 catches, 567 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Cooper’s production took a steady decline after that though, and he finished his six-year career with the 49ers with 1,152 rushing yards, six rushing, touchdowns, 1,908 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

Stuckey was only a full-time starter in his second season when he started all 15 games he played. For his career he started 43 of his 88 contests and a recorded 7.5 sacks (the stat wasn’t official until his third season).

The relative longevity for both players helps them slide up the list some, and both were fairly effective even if they fell short of first-round expectations.