Although Fleming conceived of his hero as something very like David Niven, which I can well understand and sympathize with, the demands of an action hero, by the 60s, demanded a more physical actor than Niven ever was, or could have been, even when young.
Find me an actor who looked something like Connery and could do what he could do, and also had the British sophistication and the other acting and characterization gifts of Niven. I can see Roger Moore, who, later, when he could finally do a film, still had to get in shape. He suited Fleming's original ideal fairly well.
Why McGoohan? He was by far the most famous of these, with Danger Man aka Secret Agent, at the time, would have been perfect, and had been offered the role. Long story short, he turned it down because he had three young daughters.
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