Joining the 49ers in 1993 from the Arizona Cardinals, Tim McDonald played safety for seven seasons (1993-1999). He was ...

The strong safety earned Pro Bowl nods with the Cardinals and the 49ers, but spent one more season at San Francisco than he did at Phoenix. Justin Smith spent the first seven seasons of his career ...

Think Justin Smith, who was a borderline Hall of Famer for the 49ers when Fangio was their defensive coordinator. Smith was 6'4", 290 pounds. And as great as he was, he wouldn't have fit the Wide 9.