A Draft Pick That Changed History

Storyline:  Joe Montana was supposed to be a high pick in the ’79 NFL Draft. He wasn’t. What might have happened if the Draft had gone as expected?

Most thought Joe Montana would be a ‘must grab’ in the 1979 NFL Draft. After all, he led Notre Dame to a national championship and won respect while playing through the flu. Yet, somehow, the high pick never happened. Instead Montana was the last guy chosen in the 3rd Round.

Courtesy: Emaze

The original predictions were right, though. It only took a few seasons for Montana to establish himself. He would throw “The Catch.” He would lead the 49ers to four Super Bowls (all wins).

But what if Montana had been taken earlier in that draft?

Cincinnati might have taken him. If Montana had gone to the Bengals he would have had Issac Curtis and Doug Bass at WR and Dan Ross at TE. Would that have changed a 4-12 season? I say no. A QB can’t magically change a receiving corps.

What if Montana had been picked by the Giants? NY had a 6-10 record that year. Earnest Gray and Jim Robinson were at WR and Gary Shirk was the starting TE. Again, I don’t think that would have changed the things for the Giants.

But let’s say that Montana did go to Cincinnati. The Bengals selected Boomer Esiason in the 1984 Draft. Now say that in the ’79 Draft the Bengals did put their money into Montana. They could have used that 2nd round pick and drafted a different running back. Going into 1985 the Bengals had James Brooks, who’s numbers weren’t exactly eye popping (192 attempts, 929 yards, only 7 touchdowns), but he was the rushing leader for the Bengals.

Courtesy: Pinterest

If Montana had ended up in Cincinnati, would Steve Young still go to Cincinnati? I say no. There would be no dynasty without Montana. The QB would have been Steve Bono and I think Jerry Rice would never have stayed with the team. He could have gone anywhere.

If the 49ers had never drafted Joe Montana, that decision would have had an impact on his position as one of the the top QB’s of all time. It would have damaged Jerry Rice’s rankings as one of the greatest WR’s of all time. And SF might not be on the list of greatest franchises ever.