ESPN Ranks Roger Craig as the Best in His Draft Position Number

You might have this image of Roger Craig: A knees-pumping, hard-driving running back equally adept at catching passes. The former Nebraska running back was an offensive cornerstone who provided the grind that balanced the elegant passing game of Joe Montana in the San Francisco 49ers offense.

ESPN remembers this image, too.

The worldwide leader over the weekend published a cool look at NFL draft picks. The idea was to select the greatest draft pick from Nos. 1 to 262 in the common draft era from 1967 to 2024.

For example, ESPN’s greatest No. 1 pick of all-time was Peyton Manning, of Tennessee, who was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.

ESPN writer Ben Solak’s guidelines to help determine his choices: “I took ‘best’ to mean some combination of ‘most talented’ and ‘most successful,’ ” he wrote.

He also said a player should have played the bulk of his career on the team that drafted him, and that the team had to be successful. Solak said he didn’t give added weight to quarterbacks.

Roger Craig carries the ball during the 1982 Orange Bowl against Clemson. | George Gardner/Staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

At No. 49 (second round) is Craig, who was drafted in 1983 by the 49ers. Craig, who turned 65 on July 10, played eight years for the 49ers, two years with the Vikings and one season with the Raiders.

(ESPN also selected Lavonte David, at No. 58 in 2012. We’ll feature David tomorrow on huskermax.com)

Solak wrote about Craig: “Craig wins largely on the back of two seasons: his 1988 Offensive Player of the Year campaign, in which he totaled more than 2,000 scrimmage yards and powered the 49ers to a Super Bowl win; and his 1985 season, in which he exceeded 2,000 scrimmage yards by evenly splitting his production on the ground (1,050) and through the air (1,016). That’s the first 1,000/1,000 season in NFL history. Pretty nifty!”

Craig is in the 49ers Hall of Fame but he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a finalist in the 2025 senior category but did not make the final cut, according to NBC Sports Bay Area & California. Craig was a 1989 inductee into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.

He had an outstanding career at Nebraska. He finished three rushing yards short of Rick Berns for No. 3 on the Huskers’ all-time list.

Craig gained 2,446 yards on the ground on 407 carries (6.0 average) in his Huskers career that spanned from 1979 to 1982. He scored 26 rushing touchdowns. Interestingly, he only had 16 pass receptions at Nebraska for 102 yards and no touchdowns. Interesting, because Craig became such a prolific pass receiver for the 49ers (508 catches for 4,442 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Roger Craig on the sidelines during the San Francisco 49ers' 55-10 trouncing of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. | Bob Deutsch-Imagn Images

Craig had a memorable running style. At 6-foot, 222 pounds, he ran through tackles and was hard to bring to the ground.

Craig won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. In 1988, the third of Craig’s Super Bowls, he led the playoffs with 62 carries, 288 yards and three touchdowns.

In addition to Manning at No. 1, ESPN’s top five is North Carolina linebacker Lawrence Taylor No. 2 in 1981 (Giants), Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders No. 3 in 1989 (Lions), Jackson State running back Walter Payton No. 4 in 1975 (Bears) and Florida State cornerback Deion Sanders No. 5 in 1989 (Falcons).

The greatest Mr. Irrelevant at No. 262? Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy in 2020 (49ers).

Coming tomorrow: Former Huskers linebacker Lavonte David selected by ESPN

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