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. 9 | 1987 draft

(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Pick 22: OL Harris Barton
Pick 25: RB Terrence Flagler

Barton is keeping this pair afloat on the strength of his 10 seasons as a starter. He started all but four of the 138 games he played and earned one Pro Bowl selection and two All-Pro nod. Barton is the first player on this list with either a Pro Bowl or All-Pro on his resumé, and that’s what teams are looking for from their first-round picks.

The same can’t be said for Flagler. He carried the ball just 42 times and caught 12 passes in 21 games across three seasons. His 54 touches went for 296 yards and one touchdown. He also returned kicks with only limited success. Swinging and missing on the second of two first-round picks is somewhat forgivable, so this pairing lands inside the top 10 despite Flagler’s very minimal production.