49ers Receive Mediocre Spot in 2025 NFL Defensive Rankings

It's tough to deny the 49ers being ranked in a mediocre spot.

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts after making a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

It's no secret that the 2024 defensive performance from the San Franciso 49ers was underwhelming.

Former defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen gets scapegoated for it, but the players are equally at fault. There were too many miscues from them, and they failed to take advantage of opportunities.

2025 should be a bounce-back year for them with Robert Saleh back at the helm. The injection of youth on the defense should also help.

However, that is probably going to be a rough start. The 49ers are banking on their rookies and second-year players to uplift the defense.

There is bound to be a lot of struggles, which is why Pro Football Network has the 49ers ranked as the No. 26 defense entering the 2025 season.

"Before falling apart in 2024, the Niners had nothing but top-10 finishes in our database. Like the Cowboys, they struggled massively when the opposition got into scoring position, which was quite often due to this defense's inability to get off the field (24th in third-down conversion rate)," wrote PFN analyst Kyle Soppe.

"Fred Warner remains the core of this defense, and Bryce Huff was brought over from the Super Bowl champions -- there are certainly pieces in place to return this team to average, if not better, on this side of the ball."

Noting Huff is a bit hilarious because it's unclear how he will look with the 49ers. There are strong indications that he can excel, but he has yet to do anything.

The reality is that the 49ers are going to struggle defensively. The only constants on their defense are Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and Deommodore Lenoir.

Everyone else is a variable. Not every player is going to prove to be impactful for them, and it will take longer for some to round out versus others.

The 49ers are perfectly ranked defensively, and it will only change once they showcase that they are not a mediocre unit.