The 49ers have a rich, illustrious history. Unfortunately, most of it took place before the turn of the century.
That's when they had Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young and Jerry Rice. Since then, the 49ers have lost three Super Bowls and won none.
Still, they've had some great players during the past 25 years. Here are the best 49ers by position of the past quarter century.
Quarterback: Jeff Garcia
Garcia went to three straight Pro Bowls and led a 24-point comeback in a playoff game. At his peak, he was better than Donovan McNabb, who went to six straight Pro Bowls when he played for Andy Reid. Garcia played for Steve Mariucci and Dennis Erickson, neither of whom was in Reid's class. In addition, Garcia never had the dominant defenses that Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy had when they went to Super Bowls and lost. If you put prime Garcia on those teams, they would have won.
Running back: Frank Gore
Gore is the third-leading rusher of all time. In his prime, he was similar to Emmitt Smith -- Smith just played for a much better team. Gore played for horrendous teams with terrible coaches until he was 28, and still gained at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage 12 seasons in a row. He's one of the most underrated players in NFL history. Christian McCaffrey's relatively short tenure with the 49ers can't compete.
Wide receivers: Terrell Owens, Deebo Samuel
Owens was the biggest diva wide receiver of all time, which is why the 49ers got rid of him during his prime. Still, he was by far their best receiver since Jerry Rice and the best receiver in the NFL when he was on the 49ers. He was even better than Randy Moss because Owens went over the middle and Moss didn't.
Samuel should have been the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 when he carried the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game as a wide receiver/running back. That was one of the most impressive seasons of any 49ers player ever. When he was in shape, he was a gamebreaker, unlike, say, Michael Crabtree.
Tight ends: George Kittle, Vernon Davis
Instead of using a fullback, let's go with two tight ends. Kittle currently ranks third in receiving yards in franchise history behind Rice and Owens and probably will pass Owens in the next season or two. And Vernon Davis ranks fourth in touchdown catches in franchise history -- he's still 10 ahead of Kittle. In his prime, Davis was just as good of a blocker as Kittle, if not better, considering Davis was stronger.
Offensive linemen: Trent Williams, Mike Iupati, Jeremy Newberry, Dominick Puni, Joe Staley
Williams is an easy selection as the left tackle -- he's a future Hall of Famer. Iupati was a mauler in the run game when he was young. Newberry played in 90 games with the 49ers and went to back-to-back Pro Bowls. Puni has played just one season, but he was excellent, and he doesn't have much competition at right guard. And Joe Staley sneaks on the team at right tackle because technically he played that position as a rookie.
Defensive linemen: Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Bryant Young, Nick Bosa
Aldon Smith was on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory before he ruined his career. Justin Smith should be in the Hall of Fame. Bryant Young is in the Hall of Fame. And Nick Bosa might be a Hall of Famer one day. This defensive line is so good, DeForest Buckner didn't make the cut.
Linebackers: Patrick Willis, Fred Warner, NaVorro Bowman
Willis and Bowman mostly played inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. On this team, they're the outside linebackers in a 4-3 defense, and Fred Warner is the middle linebacker. Which means in coverage, Warner shuts down the middle of the field while Willis and Bowman shut down the flats. And good luck trying to run the ball on this trio.
Safeties: Jimmie Ward, Dashon Goldson
In his prime, Goldson was one of the most feared hitters in the NFL. That's a big reason he went to back-to-back Pro Bowls and was named first-team All Pro in 2012. Ward never got those accolades, but he was an excellent tackler who was so good in coverage that he could play every position in the secondary.
Cornerbacks: Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir
Ward was the best cornerback the 49ers have had since Deion Sanders. He played at a high level for three years, and in 2023, he was arguably a top-five cornerback in the league. Lenoir also has played extremely well for the past three years, that's why he gets the nod over Jason Verrett, Richard Sherman and Carlos Rogers -- three older corners who each had one good year with the 49ers.
Kicker: Robbie Gould
Gould never missed a kick in the playoffs. He was as clutch as it gets. As opposed to his successor, Jake Moody, who missed an extra point in the Super Bowl.
Punter: Andy Lee
Lee was one of the best punters ever. He was a three-time All-Pro with the 49ers, who got rid of him about eight years too soon.
Head coach: Jim Harbaugh
Both Harbaugh and Kyle Shanahan have lost Super Bowls with the 49ers, but Harbaugh never had a losing season while Shanahan has had four in eight years.
General manager: John Lynch
If he were the general manager instead of Trent Baalke from 2011 to 2014, Harbaugh might still be coaching the 49ers. That's because Lynch is respected while Baalke just got fired for the second time.