Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith will forever be linked through the 2005 NFL Draft.
The 49ers, selecting No. 1 overall that year, passed on the Chico-born, Cal passer in Rodgers, and opted for Smith, who ran Urban Meyer's system at Utah.
Rodgers, who has since evolved into a two-time league MVP and Super Bowl champion with the Packers, was asked on Wednesday to recall that very draft in which his favorite team growing up passed on him.
Bill Simmons on HBO's Any Given Wednesday asked, “The 49ers thought you were too cocky? … Is that true?