Quarterback

The 49ers were probably the most disappointing team in the league last season, going from a 12-win season and a Super Bowl appearance in 2023 to being seen as one of the early favorites in 2024 to finishing with a 6-11 record and in last place in their division. This off-season, the 49ers lost among the most key players of any team in the league, without replacing most of them. Despite that, I still like the 49ers’ chances for a bounce back season, for several reasons.

For one, the 49ers were statistically much better than their record suggested last season, as they finished the season 2nd in yards per play differential and 5th in first down rate differential, which are both much more predictive year-to-year than a team’s win-loss record. The 49ers did that despite having the most adjusted games lost to injury of any team in the league last season, by a wide margin. In fact, there was a bigger gap between the 49ers and the second most injury plagued team in the league last season than there was between the second most injury plagued team and the 12th most injury plagued team.

The 49ers lost a lot this off-season, but many of the players they lost either missed significant time and/or had down years in 2024. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw missed all but 34 snaps due to injury last season. Interior defender Javon Hargrave was limited to 104 snaps in 3 games. Safety Talanoa Hufanga struggled with a 57.8 PFF grade in 304 snaps across 7 games after returning from injury. Cornerback Charvarius Ward missed five games and was not himself when on the field while dealing with tragedy in his personal life, finishing the season with just a 56.2 PFF grade. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel only missed two games, but was limited due to injury in numerous games, resulting in a career low 1.60 yards per route run average and a career low 70.9 PFF grade.

When the 49ers were at their best in 2023, they were led by nine players between their offense and defense who played at least 700 snaps and finished with a PFF grade above 80: quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, edge defender Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, and cornerback Charvarius Ward. In 2024, Purdy missed two games and did not seem to be himself when he returned, McCaffrey was not himself across 167 snaps in four games, Samuel and Ward missed time and were not themselves when on the field, as mentioned, Williams missed seven games, Aiyuk missed ten games, Kittle missed two games, Bosa missed three games, and Warner did not miss a game, but played through a broken bone in his leg for most of the season. 

Samuel and Ward are gone, Kittle and Williams are on the wrong side of 30 and could decline this season, and Aiyuk and McCaffrey still have significant injury concerns, but overall I would expect much more in 2025 out of those core players from the 49ers’ 2023 team than the 49ers got from them in 2024. The 49ers also drafted well in the 2024 NFL Draft, with second round pick cornerback Renaldo Green (69.2 PFF grade across 675 snaps), third round pick guard Dominick Puni (80.5 PFF grade across 1,078 snaps), and fourth round pick safety Malik Mustapha (63.9 PFF grade across 755 snaps) all showing a lot of promise as rookies, not to mention first round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who could take a step forward in year two. With those players added to the mix and healthier seasons from their core players from 2023, the 49ers still have a team that could compete in the NFC in 2025, assuming they don’t have the historically bad injury luck they had last season.

The biggest reason the 49ers had to let so many players leave this off-season was the fact that they owe quarterback Brocky Purdy a huge raise from his rookie deal. Purdy got a lot of criticism for the 49ers’ struggles last season and his TD/INT ratio noticeably declined from 31/11 to 20/12 between 2023 and 2024, but yards per attempt is much more predictive year-to-year than TD/INT ratio and he still ranked 3rd in yards per attempt (8.49), despite not having as good of a supporting cast as he had in years past and despite playing through injury in his final five starts of the season. 

Overall, Purdy finished the season with a PFF grade of 82.4 in 2024, 11th among quarterbacks, after posting a 88.4 PFF grade, 4th among quarterbacks, in his first full season as a starter in 2023. He has proven he can produce at a high level even without an elite supporting cast and that he can post MVP level production with an elite supporting cast, so he deserves a top quarterback contract, at least more than most of the quarterbacks who have gotten them recently, including Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, and possibly Jared Goff.

Purdy will be backed up this season by free agent signing Mac Jones. Jones is a bust as a former first round pick, completing 65.9% of his passes for an average of 6.75 YPA, 54 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions in 49 starts in four seasons in the league since being selected 15th overall in 2021, but he’s a solid backup, he came relatively cheaply (2-year, 8.41 million), and he is a good fit for the 49ers’ scheme. At the very least, he should be an upgrade over Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs, who combined for 63.6% completion, 7.27 YPA, 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in the absence of Purdy last season. The 49ers would likely still be in trouble if Purdy suffered a serious injury and Jones had to play for a significant period of time, but that’s true of almost every team and Jones is above average as far as backup options go.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

The 49ers’ running backs were probably their position group that was hardest hit by injuries last season. Not only did Christian McCaffrey miss most of the season and disappoint in limited action when on the field, but top backup Elijah Mitchell missed all of the season and expected third string Jordan Mason, who surprised as the lead back in the absence of McCaffrey and Mitchell with 5.17 YPC on 153 carries, also missed five games, leaving the 49ers down to their 4th or even 5th string running back at times.

Mitchell and Mason were not brought back this off-season, but 2024 4th round pick Isaac Guerendo flashed potential as a rookie last season, with 5.00 YPC on 84 carries and 1.42 yards per route run as a receiver, and the 49ers also added Oregon’s Jordan James in the 5th round of this year’s draft, so their depth situation isn’t bad. Of course, if Christian McCaffrey does end up missing more time this time, it would be a huge blow to this offense even if their depth at the position isn’t bad. 

At his best, McCaffrey is the best all-purpose running back in the league, averaging 256 carries for 1,271 rushing yards (4.96 YPC) and 11 rushing touchdowns with an average 94/794/6 slash line and 1.69 yards per route run in his last four healthy seasons in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023, but he has also been limited to 3 games, 7 games, and 4 games in 2020, 2021, and 2024 respectively, so the injury risk is obvious. Making matters worse, McCaffrey is now heading into his age 29 season with 1,871 career touches, which is a relatively advanced age with a relatively high career usage for a running back, which, not only could increase his injury risk, but could prevent him from being at his top form even when on the field. Ultimately, I would expect a lot more out of McCaffrey in 2025 than 2024, even if he’s not at his best, but the injury and age risk is obvious as well. 

Grade: A-

Receiving Corps

With Deebo Samuel having a down year and Brandon Aiyuk missing all but seven games last season, Jauan Jennings surprisingly stepped up and had a career year with a 77/975/6 slash line and 2.26 yards per route run (14th among eligible wide receivers), after combining for just 78 catches, 963 yards, and 7 touchdowns across his first four seasons in the league from 2020-2023, when he averaged just 1.23 yards per route run. Jennings is a one-year wonder and might not be as efficient as he was a year ago, but Samuel is gone and Aiyuk could be out until mid-season as he recovers from a multi-ligament tear in his knee, so Aiyuk could see even more playing time than a year ago, when he ranked just 48th among wide receivers in routes run.

Ricky Pearsall, their first round pick in 2024, also figures to have a big role this season. He had an underwhelming rookie year with a 31/400/3 slash line on 1.31 yards per route run, but he has a valid excuse, missing the first six games of the season after an off-season gunshot wound, which likely led to him not being 100% all season even when he did play. Now in his second season in the league, he has the upside to take a big step forward. Jennings will probably lead 49ers wide receivers in production, but Pearsall probably has the highest upside of any of their options, aside from Aiyuk, who obviously has a serious injury concern.

When Aiyuk is not on the field, veteran free agent addition DeMarcus Robinson will likely be the 49ers’ #3 receiver behind Jennings and Pearsall. He’s an underwhelming option though, as the 505 receiving yards he had last season was the highest total of his 9-year career, a career in which he has averaged just 0.96 yards per route run, and now he is heading into his age 31 season, so he almost definitely is what he is at this point of his career and easily could regress and be even less effective than he has been throughout his career. He could face competition for his role from 2024 4th round pick Jacob Cowing, who played 106 nondescript snaps as a rookie, and 4th round rookie Jordan Watkins, but Robinson will likely be ahead of Cowing and Watkins on the depth chart and, even if he isn’t, it’s unlikely Cowing or Watkins would be any better.

Obviously the big question mark in this receiving corps is Aiyuk. In his last full season in 2023, Aiyuk was one of the best receivers in the league, totaling a 75/1342/7 slash line on just 105 targets, averaging 3.01 yards per route run, 3rd in the NFL among eligible wide receivers, and posting a 92.3 PFF grade, 2nd in the NFL among eligible wide receivers. However, in addition to dealing with a significant injury, he is also a one-year wonder in terms of performing at that level, averaging just 1.78 yards per route run, with a career high of 1.91 yards per route run in his other four seasons in the league. Even in 2024 before his injury, he had just a 25/374/0 slash line and 1.74 yards per route run in seven games. Aiyuk’s return from injury could still be a big boost for this offense, but I wouldn’t expect him to be anywhere near his 2023 form.

Tight end George Kittle will remain a big part of the offense. His age is becoming a concern, now going into his age 32 season, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, recording the second highest receiving yardage total of his career last season with a 78/1106/8 slash line on just 94 targets, and, even if he does decline a little bit, he will likely remain one of the best tight ends in the league because he is declining from such a high base point. In addition to averaging 2.48 yards per route run and a 86/1191/7 slash line per 17 games over the past seven seasons, he is also an elite run blocker, leading to him receiving PFF grades of 89.7, 95.0, 84.9, 90.9, 82.0, 87.6, and 92.1 over those seven seasons.

Eric Saubert was the #2 tight end last season, but he wasn’t retained as a free agent this off-season and instead was replaced with Luke Farrell on a 3-year, 15.75 million dollar deal. Saubert had a 51.2 PFF grade across 377 snaps last season, so it won’t be hard for Jarrell to be better, but he was still likely overpaid as a free agent. Jarrell is a capable blocker, which is primarily what his role will be in San Francisco, but he has only averaged 0.96 yards per route run with 36 catches in 66 career games, so he won’t be much more of a factor in the passing game than Saubert was. This is still a talented receiving corps, even with Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk likely to miss the start of the season, and George Kittle getting older, but they are not the elite unit they were in 2023.

Grade: A-

Offensive Line

Getting left tackle Trent Williams back from injury will also be a big boost for this offense, though with him coming off of a significant injury and going into his age 37 season, it is fair to question if he will be the same player. Williams has exceeded a 75 grade on PFF in every season since 2011 though, with 10 seasons over 80, including an 85.6 PFF grade last season before his injury, so, even if he isn’t quite the same, the future Hall of Famer should still remain at least an above average left tackle, barring a massive decline.

Left guard Aaron Banks left as a free agent this off-season, one of the few players the 49ers lost this off-season who was actually healthy last season, but he was a middling starter with a 65.4 PFF grade in 13 starts, so it’s not as if he’s irreplaceable. In his place, the 49ers will likely start Ben Bartch. Bartch has only started 22 games in five seasons in the league, with a career high of 11 starts back in 2021, but he has mostly been decent when called upon, finishing above 60 on PFF in every season except his rookie season, and he flashed a lot of potential in limited action last season, with a 74.8 PFF grade across 65 snaps. 

Bartch is still a projection to a season-long starting role, but the 49ers have a history of getting the most out of their offensive lineman, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he proved to be a capable starter. His primary competition for the job is Spencer Burford, a 2022 4th round pick who struggled with PFF grades of 49.6 and 50.4 across 29 starts in his first two seasons in the league, before posting a 57.6 PFF grade across 113 snaps as a reserve in 2024. Bartch should beat him out for Aaron Banks’ old job unless something strange happens.

Center is also somewhat of a concerning position for the 49ers. Jake Brendel remains as the starter, after making all possible 51 starts over the past three seasons, but he has been middling at best in those three seasons, with PFF grades of 64.9, 63.9, and 65.0, and now he heads into his age 33 season and could decline, which would likely push him down into below average starter territory. If Brendel struggles, the 49ers’ other option is Matt Hennessy, a 2020 3rd round pick who excelled as a run blocker with a 88.1 PFF run blocking grade in 17 starts in 2021, but he also struggled mightily in pass protection with a 50.5 PFF pass blocking grade that season and, aside from that season, he has only ever played 398 snaps and started 5 games in his other four seasons in the league.

Fortunately, the 49ers found a steal in the third round of last year’s draft in Dominick Puni, who started all 17 games for the 49ers at right guard last season and was PFF’s 8th highest ranked guard with a 80.5 grade. Even if Puni isn’t quite as good again in 2025, he should remain at least an above average starter and he has the upside to develop into one of the consistently best guards in the league. He’ll continue starting next to right tackle Colton McKivitz, who wasn’t quite as good last season as Puni was at right guard, but who still had a solid season, with a 72.2 PFF grade in 17 starts. 

A 2020 5th round pick, McKivitz played sparingly in his first three seasons in the league, but had a solid 65.1 PFF grade while also making all 17 starts in his first season as a starter in 2023, before taking another step forward in 2024. Now with two solid seasons as a starter under his belt, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025, still only his age 29 season. McKivitz and Trent Williams will likely be backed up by swing tackle DJ Humphries. Humphries finished above 60 on PFF in nine straight seasons from 2015-2023, but he missed 49 games due to injury over that stretch, played just 92 snaps last season primarily as a reserve, and now he is going into his age 32 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him. He’s probably still a good swing tackle option though. The 49ers have some question marks at left guard and center, but this should still remain at least a solid offensive line, especially if left tackle Trent Williams stays healthy and continues to avoid declining for another season, despite his age.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

The 49ers didn’t have quite as many injuries on defense as they did on offense, but they did have some key players miss significant time. Stud defensive end Nick Bosa missed three games and he was sorely missed in those three games, as he had a 91.0 PFF grade across 693 snaps, excelling both as a run defender and a pass rusher, with 9 sacks, 16 hits, and a 16.4% pressure rate, while none of the 49ers’ other edge defenders finished with a PFF grade above 60 on the season. 

Bosa’s dominant play in 2025 when healthy was no surprise, as he has consistently been one of the best defensive players in the league since being the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, finishing above 80 on PFF in all six seasons in the league, including three straight seasons over 90. In total, he has 62.5 sacks, 108 hits, and a 16.2% pressure rate in 82 career games. Still only going into his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from Bosa again in 2025 and, aside from last season and a 2020 campaign ended by a torn ACL, he has played at least 16 games in every season in the league, so I wouldn’t necessarily classify him as injury prone.

The rest of the 49ers’ edge defender group could be better this season too, after adding Georgie’s Mykel Williams in the first round of the draft. Williams is raw, particularly as a pass rusher, but he should still be able to be an upgrade as a rookie and he has a huge upside long-term. He figures to replace veteran Leonard Floyd as the starter opposite Bosa and, while Floyd had 8.5 sacks last season, that was mostly because of Bosa facing double teams and causing disruption opposite him, as Floyd finished the season with a 53.5 PFF grade across 604 snaps, so it wouldn’t be hard for Williams to be better overall than Floyd was last season.

The rest of this edge defender group consists of holdovers who struggled a year ago, most notably Sam Okuayinonu, who had a 54.1 PFF grade across 451 snaps, Yetur Gross-Matos, who had a 51.5 PFF grade across 367 snaps, and Robert Beal, who had a 55.3 PFF grade across 149 snaps. Okuayinonu is a 2022 undrafted free agent who had played just 105 mediocre snaps in his career prior to last season, so he’s unlikely to ever develop into even a useful rotational player. 

Gross-Matos was a second round pick in 2020 by the Panthers, but has finished below 60 on PFF in three of five seasons in the league and, now going into his age 27 season, is running out of time to deliver on his upside. Beal was a fifth round pick in 2023 and has shown very little across 188 career snaps. The 49ers are likely to get a healthier season out of Nick Bosa and the addition of Mykel Williams should make the rest of this edge defender group better in 2025 by default, but there are still significant depth concerns at this position.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The 49ers also used significant draft capital on the interior defender position this year, taking Alfred Collins in the second round and CJ West in the fourth round, but this is still an underwhelming position group. Even though they were drafted two rounds apart, Collins and West are similar prospects, earning third round grades from PFF, excelling against the run in their final collegiate season, ranking 5th and 9th in run defense grade on PFF, but also possessing limited athleticism and pass rush upside. 

One or both of Collins and West figure to play a significant role in an unsettled position group this season. Javon Hargrave missed all but 104 snaps in three games last season, so his departure this off-season won’t hurt this team much, nor will the loss of Maliek Collins, who had a 57.9 PFF grade across 715 snaps, but the rest of this position group still consists of a mostly mediocre group of holdovers, including Jordan Elliott (440 snaps), Evan Anderson (267 snaps), Kalia Davis (259 snaps), and Kevin Givens (185 snaps). 

Elliott struggled with a 47.6 PFF grade last season, which is nothing new for him, as the 5-year veteran has finished below 60 on PFF in every season in the league, including four straight seasons below 50. Davis was also terrible last season with a 47.3 PFF grade, in the first significant action of the 2022 6th round pick’s career. Anderson wasn’t terrible last season with a 60.8 PFF grade, but it came in very limited action and he was an undrafted free agent in 2024, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he never developed into even a consistently capable rotational player. Givens, meanwhile, is a 6-year veteran who has averaged 261 snaps per season in his career, while never finishing above 60 on PFF for a season, including three seasons below 50 and a 49.6 PFF grade in 2024. With rookies set to play a big role amidst a mediocre group of holdovers, the interior defender position figures to be a big position of weakness for the 49ers again in 2025.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

As I mentioned earlier, linebacker Fred Warner played most of last season through a broken bone in his leg, which makes it even more impressive that he had a 89.2 PFF grade across 997 snaps, while not missing a game. For Warner, it was his fourth season over 80 on PFF in the past five seasons, including a career best 90.2 PFF grade in 2023. In seven seasons in the league, he has missed just one game, while averaging 60.9 snaps per game in an every down role. Still in his prime in his age 29 season, I would expect another dominant season from him in 2025, perhaps even better than a year ago if he’s healthier.

Dee Winters figures to be the 49ers other starting linebacker next to Warner. Winters showed some potential last season with a 66.4 PFF grade across 398 snaps last season, after he took over the starting role down the stretch last season from veteran De’Vondre Campbell, who had a mediocre 58.3 PFF grade across 719 snaps and was not retained this off-season. Winters could continue being a solid starter into 2025, but he was only a 6th round pick in 2023 and struggled across 61 rookie season snaps before showing potential last season, so he’s still very unproven.

The 49ers also don’t have a good alternative if Winters cannot continue playing at the level he played at down the stretch last season. The rest of the 49ers’ linebacker depth chart consists of Luke Gifford, a career special teamer who has played 288 mediocre snaps on defense in six seasons in the league, 2024 7th round pick Tatum Bethune, who played just 52 snaps as a rookie, and some former undrafted free agents who have never played a snap. Warner is one of the best and more durable linebackers in the league and Winters at least has potential, but depth is a big concern at this position, particularly if Winters is unable to make good on his upside.

Grade: B+

Secondary

I mentioned earlier that the 49ers did not retain Chavarius Ward this off-season, after he had a 56.2 PFF grade across 694 snaps last season. The 49ers also did not bring back Isaac Yiadom, who was also mediocre with a 59.5 PFF grade across 488 snaps. In their absence, the 49ers will be expecting more out of 2024 2nd round pick Renaldo Green, who flashed potential with a 69.2 PFF grade across 675 snaps as a rookie and who should be able to translate that into a slightly larger role in 2025, now as a full-time starter opposite fellow holdover Deommodore Lenoir, who had a 67.3 PFF grade across 922 snaps in 15 games last season. 

A fifth round pick in 2021, Lenoir took a couple years to develop, struggling with a 57.1 PFF grade across 238 snaps as a rookie and continuing to struggle in a bigger role in his second season in the league with a 55.9 PFF grade across 887 snaps, before breaking out as a starter with a 72.5 PFF grade across 981 snaps in his third season in the league in 2023, which he then carried into 2024. He should remain a solid starter this season, still only in his age 26 season.

Green and Lenoir should be a solid starting duo, but the third cornerback role is a bit of a question mark. Free agent addition Tre Brown is probably the favorite for the job and the 2021 fourth round pick wasn’t bad in a similar role with a 62.8 PFF grade across 603 snaps in 2023, but he has played just 566 snaps in his other three seasons in the league combined, so he’s not the most proven option. His biggest competition for the job will be third round rookie Upton Stout, who played at a high level at a small school at Western Kentucky, but who lacks elite athleticism to make up for his lack of size and, as a result, could struggle to translate his game to the NFL. The 49ers also have Darrell Luter, a 2023 5th round pick who has played just 67 snaps in his career, and Tre Avery, a 2022 undrafted free agent who has played just 651 snaps over the past three seasons with the Titans and who was not tendered as a restricted free agent this off-season.

The 49ers also didn’t retain Talanoa Hufanga this off-season and he also didn’t contribute in much of a positive way last season, in an injury plagued season in which he had a mediocre 57.8 PFF grade across just 308 snaps in seven games. Malik Mustapha, a 2024 4th round pick, had already taken his starting job even before Hufanga wasn’t re-signed and had a 63.9 PFF grade across 755 snaps as a rookie, so he looks like a solid starter long-term, though in the short-term he is questionable for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. If he misses time or isn’t the same right away when he returns, the 49ers would likely turn to free agent acquisition Jason Pinnock. 

Pinnock has made 32 starts over the past two seasons, but has been inconsistent, with a 67.8 PFF grade in 2023, but a 54.5 PFF grade in 2024. He’s not a bad reserve option and spot starter, but the 49ers are definitely hoping Mustapha can return sooner rather than later. The 49ers also signed Richie Grant this off-season, a 2021 2nd round pick who started 32 games for the Falcons between the 2022 and 2023 season, but who was also inconsistent, with a 64.9 PFF grade in 2022 and a 51.5 PFF grade in 2023, before being benched and playing just 165 snaps in 2024. Like Pinnock, Grant is an option to start in Mustapha’s absence, but would be best as a reserve.

Ji’Ayir Brown is locked into one of the starting safety jobs. A 2023 3rd round pick, Brown flashed a lot of potential in limited action as a rookie with a 77.9 PFF grade across 396 snaps and, while he couldn’t quite translate that into a larger role in 2024, he still wasn’t bad with a 64.8 PFF grade across 886 snaps and, now in his third season in the league, he has the upside to take a step forward. He should at least be a capable starter, with the upside to develop into an above average starter. This isn’t a great secondary, but, even with some off-season losses, they aren’t really any worse in the secondary than they were a year ago. 

Grade: B-

Kicker

The 49ers used a third round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on kicker Jake Moody, but he has been a huge disappointment thus far, costing the 49ers 3.71 points below average as a rookie and then plummeting to 12.2 points below average in 2024, third worst in the NFL. The 49ers did not bring in another kicker this off-season, so they are giving Moody another chance and he could be better than a year ago, but he also figures to be on a pretty short leash and could be replaced with a free agent mid-season if he struggles. 

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The 49ers won just six games last season, but they were much better than their record suggested, ranking 2nd in yards per play differential and 5th in first down rate differential, which are both much more productive year-to-year than a team’s win-loss record, and they did that despite being by far the most injury plagued team in the league. The 49ers seemingly lost a lot in free agency this off-season, but the majority of the players they lost this off-season either missed significant chunks of last season or did not play at a high level. Most of the core from the team who made the Super Bowl two seasons ago is still there and, while this team isn’t as good overall as they were two years ago, they’re still much more talented than you would think if you just looked at their record last season and the off-season they had. They also go from having arguably the toughest schedule in the league last season to arguably the easiest this season. They should win among the most games in the NFC this season.

Prediction: 15-2, 1st in NFC West