The 49ers for a long time maintained their place as a contender thanks to their ability to replenish talent through the NFL draft. They’re in a position heading into the 2019 draft where they need to tap into some of that old magic and find a few high-quality players to plug in as foundational pieces for an eventual Super Bowl contender.

Just how good have the 49ers been at drafting in their history? We decided to take a look by going through a seven-round draft, and finding the best player the 49ers have selected in each round in their history.

We stuck with seven rounds because that’s the current draft format, and we went by the pick number that was used to acquire each player.

Here’s what we came up with:

Round 1, Pick 16 | Jerry Rice, WR, Mississippi Valley State (1985)

Otto Greule Jr / Stringer

The 49ers have some home runs in their collection of Round 1 picks, but Rice is arguably the greatest football player in NFL history. He played for 21 seasons, went to 13 Pro Bowls, made 10 All-Pro teams, won three Super Bowls, and is the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns. He has to be the pick for the 49ers.

Other candidates:

QB Y.A. Tittle, RB Hugh McElhenny, S Ronnie Lott, DT Bryant Young, TE Vernon Davis, OT Joe Staley, LB Patrick Willis, OLB Aldon Smith