Forget Jerry Rice. The San Francisco 49ers are hoping Michael Crabtree can be the next Herman Moore ... but live in fear that he could be the next J.J. Stokes.

The 49ers selected Crabtree in the 2009 NFL draft six picks higher than they took Rice in the first round of 1985. Rice became the NFL's all-time leading receiver and touchdown maker. San Francisco took Crabtree with the 10th overall selection of the draft.

But there are no guarantees that a top-10 pick is going to make it in the NFL – especially when he's the 10th overall pick and plays wide receiver.

Since the AFL and NFL merged drafts in 1967, there have been eight wide receivers taken with the 10th overall pick. Crabtree becomes the ninth. There's not a Hall of Famer in the bunch.

The best was Moore, who was selected by the Detroit Lions in 1991. He struggled as a rookie, catching only 11 passes, but became a four-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL with 123 catches in 1995 and led the NFC with 104 catches in 1997.

But the Lions also drafted Mike Williams with the 10th overall choice in 2005. He caught 29 passes as a rookie but caught only 15 more passes over a three-year career. He also played with Oakland and Tennessee before washing out.

Stokes was selected by the 49ers at No. 10 in 1995 and was expected to be an offensive bookend with Rice. But Stokes became expendable a year later when the 49ers drafted Terrell Owens in the third round. Stokes played with three teams over nine seasons, catching 342 career passes.

Crabtree played only two seasons at Texas Tech but won two Biletnikoff Awards as the NCAA's best receiver. He caught 231 passes in his career and scored 41 touchdowns. He finally signed with the 49ers last week.