San Francisco Will Have Fifteen Picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, Most of Any Super Bowl Team in Modern Draft Format

With San Francisco’s trade of Alex Smith to Kansas City for at least the second round pick in this year’s draft, San Francisco will have a whopping fifteen draft picks in the 2013 NFL Draft. They already had 11 picks in the draft, which included all seven of their original ones, plus four others that came in trades during last year’s draft or previously. San Francisco will also be getting three compensatory picks, most likely one fourth round, and two seventh round picks, though the specifics have not been announced yet.

Five of those draft picks are now in the first three rounds. San Francisco is already a loaded, young roster, with a quarterback in his second year, and most of their key players in their twenties. How does this bounty of picks compare to past Super Bowl teams?

As it turns out, it is the most under the modern format (the league went from 12 rounds in 1992 to 8 in 1993 to the current 7 rounds in 1994). It will be the most unless San Francisco trades a net of at least two of its picks away. The San Diego Chargers ended up with thirteen total picks in the 1995 draft coming off the Super Bowl loss to San Francisco. Seven Super Bowl teams since the 1994 draft have had at least ten picks. Looking at the results, though, show that quantity does not mean much.

Here are those seven teams, with the top players they ended up getting from the draft.

1995 San Diego Chargers: (13 picks) DB Terrance Shaw, RB Terrell Fletcher, QB Craig Whelihan

1999 Denver Broncos: (12 picks) LB Al Wilson, TE Desmond Clark, DT David Bowens

1994 Buffalo Bills: (11 picks) LB Sam Rogers, DB Jeff Burris, TE Lonnie Johnson

2005 Philadelphia Eagles: (11 picks) DE Trent Cole, OT Todd Herremans, DT Mike Patterson

2000 Tennessee Titans: (10 picks) LB Keith Bulluck, DE Robaire Smith, LB Peter Sirmon

2003 Oakland Raiders: (10 picks) CB Nnamdi Asomugha, DE Tyler Brayton, RB Justin Fargas

2011 Green Bay Packers: (10 picks) WR Randall Cobb, OT Derek Sherrod, LB D.J. Smith

As this list shows, it is not just about the raw number of picks. The teams in the Super Bowl are at the end of round one, and unless they trade up, are not getting into elite pick range. While the 49ers have far more picks this year, they don’t have significantly greater value than in either the 201o or 2011 draft, using the average career value based on draft position here. If we go by the value of the picks, the current 49ers selections are just behind the 1994 Buffalo Bills (who had six of their eleven picks in the first three rounds) in terms of draft surplus heading into the draft for a Super Bowl team.

[photo via USA Today Sports Images]