49ers All-Time Cornerback #2

Now that we've got our first cornerback position in Jimmy Johnson, let's take care of the #2 position.  As I said, Primetime has been added to the list.  Reasons for that are included in his brief bio.  And once again, we've left out Ronnie Lott because I feel he is best remembered as a safety.

Deion Sanders (1994): As previously mentioned, Deion Sanders did only play one year, which is why he was not up for the vote for the #1 cornerback position.  However, Deion's single season with the 49ers was one of the most dominant in franchise history and it was arguably his best season as a pro.  Deion was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the only time in his career and he was the definition of shutdown corner.  He had 6 INTs, half of which were returned for touchdowns and his return yardage on the interceptions was the highest of his career.  Maybe he wasn't a tackling CB, but when teams are avoiding your half of the field most of the game, you don't need to be a tackler.

Kermit Alexander (1963-1969): Alexander spent seven seasons with the 49ers amassing an impressive 36 interceptions, a rate of just over 5 per season.  As impressive is that he came out of college as a running back and was the outstanding offensive player at the Hula Bowl.  Mix in some quality kick and punt return stats and you've got one heck of a player.  Also, just noticed he recovered 23 fumbles in his career.  Nothing on Johnson for that, but Alexander is the franchise leader there by a safe margin.

Lowell Wagner (1949-1953): Wagner was with the team in its last year in the All-America Football Conference and then the first four years in the NFL.  Although the team struggled a bit early on, Wagner was a highlight, snagging 31 interceptions in just five full season with the team.

Eric Wright (1981-1990): No vote would be complete without Wright.  While not a ball hawk like some of these other guys (7 of his 18 career INTs came in a single season), Wright was a very solid corner who is on the short list of 4-time Super Bowl winners.

Don Griffin (1986-1993): I'll be honest, I don't remember a whole heck of a lot about Griffin.  He is 9th on the 49ers INT list and was the successor to Eric Wright at right CB, and a fitting successor he ended up being.