During the HC Jim Harbaugh era, the 49ers for once didn’t have some of the most dominant wide receivers in the league. Look back at any other era of 49ers history and you’ll notice at least once All-Pro wideout on the team.

How can a team have such a legacy of such great WRs? Find out on this week’s Betway Insider top 10, where we’ll rank the 10 greatest wide receivers in San Francisco 49ers history.

As usual, all stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Who are the San Francisco 49ers starting Wide Receivers for the 2023 NFL season?

The 2023 49ers starting wide receivers are WRs Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings.

San Francisco 49ers Wide Receivers History

The 49ers' WR history can be best summed up by one man: Jerry Rice, Rice doesn’t just hold every major 49ers receiving record: he holds the NFL records in the same categories.

Famous San Francisco 49ers Wide Receivers

Other famous wide receivers for the 49ers include Terrell Owens and Dwight Clark, the #1 wideouts for QBs Jeff Garcia and (early-career) Joe Montana, respectively.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest San Francisco 49ers Wide Receivers of all time

  1. JJ Stokes, 1995-2002

Former 49ers WR JJ Stokes spent the first eight seasons of his career in San Francisco, always more reliable and consistent than elite. He was QB Steve Young’s #2 receiver to first WR Jerry Rice and then WR Terrell Owens.

Stokes never topped 800+ receiving yards or 9+ scores in a single season, but he still finished his 49ers career with the 13th most receiving yards and 12th most receiving touchdowns.

  1. Deebo Samuel, 2019-Present

Current 49ers WR Deebo Samuel is the ultimate jack-of-all-trade weapon for HC Kyle Shanahan. How so? Consider his First-team All-Pro 2021 campaign: Samuel hauled in 1405 yards and six scores… in addition to plowing for 365 and eight more scores on the ground. For his career, Samuel has more rushing touchdowns than receiving scores.

Samuel has been slightly hampered by injury in both 2022-23, but he’s still a big part of the 49ers future and will continue to get looks in both the passing and running game.

  1. Freddie Solomon, 1978-1985

Former San Francisco wideout Freddie Solomon was a 2x Super Bowl champion in San Francisco, helping QB Joe Montana & co dominate the early 1980s. The second-round pick blossomed with the arrival of the veteran QB, putting up a career-best 969 receiving yards in 1981.

Solomon was also a big contributor in the playoffs, hauling in 537 yards in seven starts. He primarily served as the #2 receiver behind Dwight Clark and thus never had elite numbers, but Solmon’s consistency still earned him the tenth most receiving yards in franchise history.

  1. John Taylor, 1987-1995

Former 49ers WR John Taylor was one of the best complimentary receivers in NFL history. He spent practically his entire career playing opposite of WR Jerry Rice, but that didn’t stop him from carving out a significant role on the team.

Taylor was a 2x Pro Bowler: once as a receiver and once as a return man. His 1988 season returning punts was spectacular, as Taylor led the league with both 556 return yards and two scores. That season, he also caught the game-winning touchdown from QB Joe Montana to give the 49ers a Super Bowl XXIII victory.

Taylor broke the 1000+ yards mark twice and recorded the eighth-most receiving yards in franchise history.

  1. Michael Crabtree, 2009-2014

Former 49ers WR Michael Crabtree is more than just a “Sorry a** receiver” Seattle CB Richard Sherman guarded in the 2013 NFC Championship Game. The first-round pick was the #1 wideout for both QBs Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick during the HC John Harbaugh era.

Crabtree posted 488 receiving yards across six playoff games in 2012-2013, though the 49ers couldn’t quite get over the hump. He has the 12th most receiving yards in 49ers history and would’ve had more had he stayed with the franchise longer. Instead, he went across the bay and had a late-career renaissance with the Oakland Raiders.

  1. Billy Wilson, 1951-1960

Former 49ers WR Billy Wilson was one of the early receiving stars for San Francisco. He cracked 6x straight Pro Bowl teams from 1954-1959, leading the NFL in reception three times in that span.

Although he never put up 1000+ receiving yards in a campaign, Wilson bested 800+ on four occasions and led the NFL in yards/game in 1957. He has the sixth-most receiving yards in franchise history, though he never featured in the playoffs for the 49ers.

  1. Gene Washington, 1969-1977

Former 49ers wide receiver Gene Washington was QB John Brodie’s favorite target in the early 1970s. The WR ripped off 4x straight Pro Bowl seasons to start his career, highlighted by his league leading-1110 yard 1970 campaign where he was a First-team All-Pro. Washington was First-team All-Pro again in 1972 when he led the league with 12 receiving scores.

Washington reached the playoffs three times with San Francisco, but the team fell to Dallas on each occasion. He still ranks fourth in franchise history with 6664 receiving yards and third with 59 receiving touchdowns.

  1. Dwight Clark, 1979-1987

We’ll start with “The Catch.” Against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship game, Clark made a miraculous jumping catch in the back of the endzone (on a pass not intended for him) to clinch the victory and send the 49ers to their first-ever Super Bowl. It was QB Joe Montana’s signature NFL moment.

Clark was also a fantastic football player: a 2x Super Bowl Champion, 2x Pro Bowler, 1x league leader in receptions. He bested 700+ yards each season from 1980-1986, highlighted by a 1105-yard 1981 campaign. Overall, Clark has the third most receiving yards in franchise history.

  1. Terrell Owens, 1996-2003

Pro Football Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens started off his mercurial career as a San Francisco 49er. The third-round pick did pretty well for himself, taking over as the #1 receiver following injuries to Jerry Rice.

Owens starred alongside both QBs Steve Young and Jeff Garcia, particularly the latter. He topped 1300+ yards from 2000-2002, earning First-team All-Pro honors each year. He was a 4x Pro Bowler and the franchise’s second-ever leading receiver before he bolted to Philadelphia for the 2004 NFL season. By the end, Owens’s relationship sputtered with both Garcia and 49ers fans.

  1. Jerry Rice, 1985-2000

Who else but WR Jerry Rice for the title of the best 49ers wide receiver of all time? Wonder why? Well:

  • 3x Super Bowl Champion and 1x Super Bowl MVP (XXIII)
  • 10x First-team All-Pro (not a typo) and 13x Pro Bowlers
  • 6x NFL receiving yards leader and 6x NFL receiving touchdowns leader
  • NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade teams, NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary teams
  • Most NFL career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame

Rice did the majority of this work as a 49er, holding literally every franchise receiving record imaginable. To highlight his insanity: Rice led the NFL with 1948 yards as a 33-year-old in 1995.

And don’t even get us started on RIce’s playoff stats (spoiler: he also holds every record).

Parameters of Rankings

Rankings are made based on a combination of 1) individual accomplishments, 2) team success, 3)

franchise legacy, and 4) personal accolades.

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