ESPN Ranks the 49ers Roster by Position
How good are the 49ers on paper this year?
ESPN's Mike Clay recently ranked all 32 NFL teams by position, then gave each team an overall composite score based on the importance of each position. Clay covers the entire NFL, not just the 49ers, so he's unbiased. Here's where the 49ers finished in his rankings.
QUARTERBACK: 24th out of 32 teams.
Percentage of overall grade: 28.
This might seem low, but it's fair, because the 49ers don't know who their Week 1 starter will be. They say they believe in Brock Purdy, but they don't know when he will return or how good or confident he'll be when he's back. They also don't know how good or confident Trey Lance will be post ankle surgery. And then they have Sam Darnold, whom they know lacks confidence. Maybe one of these three quarterbacks will stay healthy and play at a high level for a full season, but none of them have done that before.
RUNNING BACK: 1st
Percentage of overall grade: 3.
The 49ers have three excellent running backs in Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. They also have the best fullback in the NFL, Kyle Juszczyk, plus a wide receiver who's an outstanding ball carrier in Deebo Samuel. This clearly would be the league's best running back rotation if Kyle Shanahan would rotate them instead of overusing McCaffrey.
WIDE RECEIVER: 11th
Percentage of overall grade: 11
Brandon Aiyuk is a good wide receiver who can do everything. The rest of the wide receivers -- Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and Danny Gray -- are gadget players who are dangerous in specific ways. Together, they compliment each other beautifully. This is a fair ranking.
TIGHT END: 3rd
Percentage of overall grade: 4.
This is all based on George Kittle, who had a bounce-back season in 2022. If the 49ers had a backup tight end they trusted and used, they could rank even higher.
OFFENSIVE LINE: 30th
Percentage of overall grade: 12.
This means the 49ers have the third-worst offensive line in the NFL on paper. That's because just one of their starters has more than one season of starting experience, and that's future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. The other four -- Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford and Colton McKivitz -- each are relatively inexperienced. And while Banks and Brendel were solid last season, Burford struggled and McKivitz is an unknown.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: 2nd
Percentage of overall grade: 8.
When healthy, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead will form one a dominant defensive-tackle duo, but both are approaching 30-years old and Armstead missed half of last season with plantar fasciitis.
DEFENSIVE END: 17th
Percentage of overall grade: 9.
Nick Bosa is the best defensive end in the NFL, but opposite him the 49ers have no one. They lost Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu, two quality defensive ends, and now they need second-year edge rusher Drake Jackson to step up. He has much to prove.
LINEBACKERS: 1st
Percentage of overall grade: 6.5.
Not many teams have a linebacker who's good against both the run and pass. The 49ers happen to have two linebackers who fit that description -- Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. And as well as they stop the run, the cover receivers even better, which means they're perfect for the modern game.
CORNERBACKS: 24th
Percentage of overall grade: 10.5.
A surprisingly low grade which reflects the fact that Charvarius Ward is good but not great, and that Emmanuel Moseley and Jimmie Ward left in free agency. Their replacements, Deommodore Lenoir and Isaiah Oliver, are cheaper options.
SAFETIES: 9th
Percentage of overall grade: 8.
Tashaun Gipson and Talanoa Hufanga combined to intercept a whopping nine passes last season. They were an elite duo. And although Gipson will turn 33 this season, Hufanga is just 24.
OVERALL: 16th
That means the 49ers have the 16th-best roster in the NFL on paper, which sounds wrong. How could a team that's so strong at running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive line, linebacker and safety rank right in the middle of the pack?
Because the 49ers have huge question marks at by far the most important position -- quarterback. To make matters worse, they also have the third-worst offensive line in the NFL, which will make the quarterback's job more difficult.
Those two positions could hold back the entire team.
But even if the 49ers win just nine games, they still could win the NFC West, because it's a weak division. And if they finish the season strong as they did the past two seasons, they still could go deep in the playoffs.
Whether they can win a Super Bowl is another question.
