10 biggest NFL draft busts in UCLA football history
By Josh Yourish
Bill Sandifer. . 1974. Bill Sandifer, DT. 4. player. 42. . No. 10 overall. Bill Sandifer, DT
Now, carrying just 278 pounds, Sandifer would be severely undersized to play on the interior of the defensive line, but in 1974, 6-foot-6 280-pound football players did not grow on trees. So, the 49ers were enticed by his size and potential.
Sandifer was brought into San Francisco to be a run-stuffer on the defensive line. The D-line played a very different role back in the 70s, so his sack numbers were never going to be gaudy, but over his five NFL seasons, Sandifer recorded just two sacks.
The 49ers started him in just 13 games across three seasons before moving on. Sandifer played 1977 and 1978 with the Seattle Seahawks, but even after starting 13 of 15 games in ‘78 as a 26-year-old former top-10 pick the NFL was done with Sandifer and he was out of football.
It’s hard to truly track the impact of a player from the '70s with stats, but the NFL told us that Sandifer was not a valued commodity by the fact that he couldn’t get a job as he was entering the prime of his career.