It's not often a franchise transitions from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another. The 49ers had everything fall in line when Steve Young took the reigns from Joe Montana.
The next changing of the guard was less seamless. The 49ers drafted Jim Druckenmiller in 1997 to be Young's heir apparent. But Young watched him throw once and knew he had no reason to be worried.
After Druckenmiller, the 49ers drafted eight more quarterbacks from 1998 to 2018, hoping to find their next franchise quarterback. They tried their hand at a number of free agents as well. Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick had moments of greatness. Even Shaun Hill wasn't terrible. But most of the others were doomed to the burial ground of NFL quarterbacks.
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To be fair, not all who were drafted were picked high, and not all were drafted with the idea that they would become the next starting quarterback.
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Of course, the 49ers now have Jimmy Garoppolo who should be the signal-caller for the foreseeable future.
Nonetheless, let's look at some of the biggest duds the 49ers selected over the past two decades.
San Francisco 49ers
Jim Druckenmiller
The next Steve Young, Druckenmiller was not.
Druckenmiller saw action in four games his rookie season, completing 40.4 percent of his passes while throwing one touchdown and four interceptions. The 6-foot-1 quarterback did lead a game-winning drive in a 15-12 win over the St. Louis Rams to get his lone win as a starter.
He never threw another pass in the NFL after 1997 and was out of football after the 2000 season. Druckenmiller didn't take a regular-season snap after 1998.
Giovanni Carmazzi and Tim Rattay
Passing on Tom Brady wasn't a great idea. In fairness, many teams passed on Brady. Over and over again.
The 49ers drafted Carmazzi with the No. 65 overall pick in 2000. Carmazzi was cut prior to the start of the 2000 season, losing out to Tim Rattay, who the 49ers selected in the seventh round that year.
Rattay would end up starting 16 games for the 49ers over six seasons, completing 60.8 percent of his passes while tossing 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He went 4-12 as a starter.
Brady, of course, has won six Super Bowls and still is going strong 20 years later.
Ken Dorsey
All Ken Dorsey did was win during his college years at the University of Miami, going 38-2 as a starter.
The 49ers selected him in the seventh round in the 2003 NFL Draft, but the Orinda native wasn't the long-term answer.
In two seasons with the 49ers, Dorsey went 2-8 as a starter, completing 54.1 percent of his passes while throwing eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He went to the Cleveland Browns in 2006 and was out of the NFL after 2008.
Cody Pickett
Another late-round draft pick, Pickett was selected in the seventh round in 2004.
The Washington product started two games for the 49ers, losing both of them. He didn't take another regular-season snap after 2005.
Chris Weinke
The 49ers signed the Heisman Trophy winner in late 2007 after injuries to Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer and Shaun Hill.
Weinke lost the only game he ever started for the 49ers.
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J.T. O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan started eight games for the 49ers in 2008.
He went 2-6 as a starter, completing just 58.2 percent of his passes while throwing for eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Troy Smith
The 2006 Heisman Trophy winner dazzled to open his 49ers tenure, leading SF to wins over the Denver Broncos and then outdueling Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams.
Smith went 3-3 as a starter overall. He completed just 50.3 percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,176 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.