49ers Ultimate Draft grades: High marks for remembering older players

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Editor’s note: The voice of the 49ers, Greg Papa, takes on NBC Sports Bay Area 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco in the 49ers Ultimate Draft. They both chose a stacked squad full of legends from the past and your favorite players from today. Our team of experts will dissect and analyze the merits of each team until a winner is crowned.

The 49ers were ever so close to matching the NFL record for Super Bowl wins back in February. They were up 10 points in the fourth quarter that fateful night in Miami, Fla., but let the lead slip and ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Elite quarterback Patrick Mahomes did some incredible things, Jimmy Garoppolo missed Emmanuel Sanders on a post route and the rest is unfortunate history.

Despite an excellent season by a stacked team, the 49ers are stuck on five Lombardi Trophies

While Jed York surely longs for a sixth championship, the 49ers owner can rest easy knowing his franchise ranks high even among the elite.

This is, after all, the franchise of Montana and Young, of Lott and Rice, of Kittle and Willis, of Johnson and Nomellini.

Don’t stress if the last pairing gave you pause.

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Don’t feel bad if you didn’t instantly recall four-time All-Pro cornerback Jimmy Johnson or six-time All-Pro defensive tackle Leo Nomellini. A deep Pro Football Reference dive is required to fully understand the depth and breadth of this powerful franchise by the Bay, which has employed some of the greatest NFL players to ever play.

Matt Maiocco and Greg Papa didn’t ignore the distant past when compiling the 49ers Ultimate Draft, and for that, they should feel proud. That’s the case even if it meant a Sunday spent wandering down Sourdough Sam’s rabbit hole to learn about Joe “The Jet” Perry, about Bob St. Clair’s dominance and Billy Wilson’s awesome career.

You can check out the rosters for Maiocco and Papa's squads right here.

[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

Great thanks to 49ers historian Donn Sinn for helping with my homework, but our long conversation didn’t get me anywhere close to assigning letter grades. It did help fully grasp the 49ers’ storied history and the simple fact that both teams are loaded.

Make no mistake: Everyone on Team Papa and Team Maiocco can freaking play.

And, when you analyze these teams, don’t let recency bias be your guide. Just because you saw Terrell Owens cry after making The Catch: Part II and had to look Wilson up doesn’t mean one’s automatically better than the other.

And please don’t just scan the list for the names you know. Take the time to learn about those you don’t. 49ers history is truly fascinating, with greater depth and breadth and personality than you might expect, with icons appearing well before the trophy case got crowded. Let this exercise be an ode to the forgotten, a tribute to those you might not recall.

[RELATED: Joe Namath praises Jimmy G's style of play]

But, since we have to grade these things out, both Papa and Maiocco get an "A" for remembering Woody Peoples and Cedrick Hardman, for recognizing Forrest Blue and Hugh McElhenny.

Learning about them was truly an honor.

Putting them all on a “Field of Dreams” patch of turf – if you rebuild Candlestick, they will come – would be a real treat. They would trade blows and victories, but would always wow and amaze.

If you want to buy your favorite 49ers jersey from the past or present, click here.

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