# List of San Francisco 49ers first-round draft picks

The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference West Division. The team, founded in 1944 by Tony Morabito, is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush. The 49ers joined the NFL prior to the start of the 1950 NFL season. Since 2014 they have played their home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located southeast of San Francisco.
The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting", is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them. From 1947 through 1958 the NFL designated the first overall selection as a "bonus" or "lottery pick". The pick was awarded by a random draw and the winner who received the "bonus pick" forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft and became ineligible for future draws. The system was abolished prior to the 1959 NFL draft, as all twelve teams in the league at the time had received a bonus choice.
Since the team's first NFL draft in 1950, the 49ers have selected 87 players in the first round. The team's first-round pick in their inaugural NFL draft was Leo Nomellini, a defensive tackle from the University of Minnesota; he was the 11th overall selection. The 49ers have drafted first overall three times, selecting Harry Babcock in 1953, Dave Parks in 1964, and Alex Smith in 2005. In the most recent draft, held in 2024, the 49ers chose Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
The 49ers did not draft a player in the first round on ten occasions. Nine of the team's first-round picks—Lance Alworth, Jimmy Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Hugh McElhenny, Leo Nomellini, Jerry Rice, Y. A. Tittle, Patrick Willis, and Bryant Young—have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; one of these, Lance Alworth, chose to sign with the NFL's pre-merger direct competitor, the American Football League (AFL), and never played for the 49ers.

## Player selections

Key :
| Symbol | Meaning |
| † | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| * | Selected number one overall |
Position abbreviations :
| C | Center |
| CB | Cornerback |
| DB | Defensive back |
| DE | Defensive end |
| DT | Defensive tackle |
| FB | Fullback |
| FL | Flanker |
| G | Guard |
| HB | Halfback |
| LB | Linebacker |
| QB | Quarterback |
| RB | Running back |
| S | Safety |
| T | Tackle |
| TE | Tight end |
| WR | Wide receiver |
San Francisco 49ers first-round draft picks :
| Season | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1950 | 11 | Leo Nomellini† | DT | Minnesota | |
| 1951 | 3 | Y. A. Tittle† | QB | LSU | |
| 1952 | 9 | Hugh McElhenny† | HB | Washington | |
| 1953 | 1 | Harry Babcock* | TE | Georgia | Lottery bonus pick |
| 1953 | 10 | Tom Stolhandske | TE | Texas | |
| 1954 | 11 | Bernie Faloney | QB | Maryland | |
| 1955 | 10 | Dicky Moegle | HB | Rice | |
| 1956 | 2 | Earl Morrall | QB | Michigan State | |
| 1957 | 3 | John Brodie | QB | Stanford | |
| 1958 | 8 | Jim Pace | HB | Michigan | Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1958 | 9 | Charlie Krueger | DT | Texas A&M | |
| 1959 | 5 | Dave Baker | QB | Oklahoma | |
| 1959 | 8 | Dan James | C | Ohio State | Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1960 | 11 | Monty Stickles | TE | Notre Dame | |
| 1961 | 6 | Jimmy Johnson† | CB | UCLA | Pick received from Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1961 | 9 | Bernie Casey | WR | Bowling Green State | |
| 1961 | 11 | Billy Kilmer | QB | UCLA | Pick received from Baltimore Colts |
| 1962 | 8 | Lance Alworth† | FL | Arkansas | Signed for the AFL's San Diego Chargers instead |
| 1963 | 8 | Kermit Alexander | DB | UCLA | |
| 1964 | 1 | Dave Parks* | WR | Texas Tech | |
| 1965 | 2 | Ken Willard | FB | North Carolina | |
| 1965 | 13 | George Donnelly | DB | Illinois | Pick received from Cleveland Browns |
| 1966 | 11 | Stan Hindman | T | Ole Miss | |
| 1967 | 3 | Steve Spurrier | QB | Florida | Pick received from Atlanta Falcons |
| 1967 | 11 | Cas Banaszek | TE | Northwestern | |
| 1968 | 15 | Forrest Blue | C | Auburn | |
| 1969 | 7 | Ted Kwalick | TE | Penn State | Pick received from New Orleans Saints |
| 1969 | 16 | Gene Washington | WR | Stanford | |
| 1970 | 9 | Cedrick Hardman | DE | North Texas | |
| 1970 | 17 | Bruce Taylor | DB | Boston | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 1971 | 23 | Tim Anderson | DB | Ohio State | |
| 1972 | 19 | Terry Beasley | WR | Auburn | |
| 1973 | 18 | Mike Holmes | DB | Texas Southern | |
| 1974 | 9 | Wilbur Jackson | RB | Alabama | Pick received from New England Patriots |
| 1974 | 10 | Bill Sandifer | DT | UCLA | |
| 1975 | 10 | Jimmy Webb | DT | Mississippi State | |
| 1976 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to New England Patriots |
| 1977 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to New England Patriots |
| 1978 | 7 | Ken MacAfee | TE | Notre Dame | |
| 1978 | 24 | Dan Bunz | LB | Long Beach State | Pick received from Miami Dolphins |
| 1979 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Buffalo Bills |
| 1980 | 13 | Earl Cooper | RB | Rice | Moved down draft order in trade with New York Jets |
| 1980 | 20 | Jim Stuckey | DT | Clemson | Pick received from New York Jets |
| 1981 | 8 | Ronnie Lott† | DB | USC | |
| 1982 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to New England Patriots |
| 1983 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to San Diego Chargers |
| 1984 | 24 | Todd Shell | LB | BYU | |
| 1985 | 16 | Jerry Rice† | WR | Mississippi Valley State | Moved up draft order in trade with New England Patriots |
| 1986 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Moved down draft order in trades with Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills |
| 1987 | 22 | Harris Barton | T | North Carolina | |
| 1987 | 25 | Terrence Flagler | RB | Clemson | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 1988 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Moved down draft order in trade with Los Angeles Raiders |
| 1989 | 28 | Keith DeLong | LB | Tennessee | |
| 1990 | 25 | Dexter Carter | RB | Florida State | |
| 1991 | 25 | Ted Washington | DT | Louisville | |
| 1992 | 18 | Dana Hall | DB | Washington | |
| 1993 | 26 | Dana Stubblefield | DT | Kansas | Pick received from Kansas City Chiefs and used to move down draft order in trades with Phoenix Cardinals and New Orleans Saints |
| 1993 | 27 | Todd Kelly | DT | Tennessee | |
| 1994 | 7 | Bryant Young† | DT | Notre Dame | Pick received from San Diego Chargers and used to move up draft order in trade with Los Angeles Rams |
| 1994 | 28 | William Floyd | RB | Florida State | Moved down draft order in trade with Dallas Cowboys |
| 1995 | 10 | J. J. Stokes | WR | UCLA | Moved up draft order in trade with Cleveland Browns |
| 1996 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Cleveland Browns |
| 1997 | 26 | Jim Druckenmiller | QB | Virginia Tech | |
| 1998 | 28 | R. W. McQuarters | CB | Oklahoma State | |
| 1999 | 24 | Reggie McGrew | DT | Florida | Moved up draft order in trade with Miami Dolphins |
| 2000 | 16 | Julian Peterson | LB | Michigan State | Moved down draft order in trade with Washington Redskins and New York Jets |
| 2000 | 24 | Ahmed Plummer | CB | Ohio State | Pick received from Washington Redskins |
| 2001 | 7 | Andre Carter | DE | California | Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks |
| 2002 | 27 | Mike Rumph | CB | Miami (FL) | |
| 2003 | 26 | Kwame Harris | T | Stanford | |
| 2004 | 31 | Rashaun Woods | WR | Oklahoma State | Moved down draft order in trades with Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers |
| 2005 | 1 | Alex Smith* | QB | Utah | |
| 2006 | 6 | Vernon Davis | TE | Maryland | |
| 2006 | 22 | Manny Lawson | LB | North Carolina State | Moved up draft order in trade with Denver Broncos |
| 2007 | 11 | Patrick Willis† | LB | Ole Miss | |
| 2007 | 28 | Joe Staley | T | Central Michigan | Pick received from New England Patriots |
| 2008 | 29 | Kentwan Balmer | DT | North Carolina | Original pick traded to New England Patriots. Moved up draft order in trade with Indianapolis Colts. |
| 2009 | 10 | Michael Crabtree | WR | Texas Tech | |
| 2010 | 11 | Anthony Davis | T | Rutgers | Moved up draft order in trade with Denver Broncos |
| 2010 | 17 | Mike Iupati | G | Idaho | Pick received from Carolina Panthers |
| 2011 | 7 | Aldon Smith | LB | Missouri | |
| 2012 | 30 | A. J. Jenkins | WR | Illinois | |
| 2013 | 18 | Eric Reid | S | LSU | Moved up draft order in trade with Dallas Cowboys |
| 2014 | 30 | Jimmie Ward | S | Northern Illinois | |
| 2015 | 17 | Arik Armstead | DE | Oregon | Moved down draft order in trade with San Diego Chargers |
| 2016 | 7 | DeForest Buckner | DE | Oregon | |
| 2016 | 28 | Joshua Garnett | G | Stanford | Moved up draft order in trade with Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2017 | 3 | Solomon Thomas | DE | Stanford | Moved down draft order in trade with Chicago Bears |
| 2017 | 31 | Reuben Foster | LB | Alabama | Moved up draft order in trade with Seattle Seahawks |
| 2018 | 9 | Mike McGlinchey | T | Notre Dame | |
| 2019 | 2 | Nick Bosa | DE | Ohio State | |
| 2020 | 14 | Javon Kinlaw | DT | South Carolina | Pick received from Indianapolis Colts. Moved down draft order in trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. |
| 2020 | 25 | Brandon Aiyuk | WR | Arizona State | Moved up draft order in trade with Minnesota Vikings |
| 2021 | 3 | Trey Lance | QB | North Dakota State | Moved up draft order in trade with Miami Dolphins |
| 2022 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Miami Dolphins |
| 2023 | No pick | No pick | No pick | No pick | Pick traded to Miami Dolphins |
| 2024 | 31 | Ricky Pearsall | WR | Florida | |