There may not be a team in the NFL that has as much talent on their roster as the San Francisco 49ers do. They are loaded with All-Pros and Pro Bowlers and their roster got even stronger with the addition of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency.
While the 49ers’ defense is a vaunted unit, as they were No. 1 in the NFL last season, the offense is just as scary heading into the 2023 season. That is why, with good reason, they are ranked as the No. 1 group of skill position players in the NFL by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
Last season, they were ranked No. 3 by Barnwell. Since that point, they have upgraded at running back with Christian McCaffrey, who was acquired from the Carolina Panthers before the trade deadline last season. Also, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has emerged as a go-to receiver as well.
It is hard to argue against the ranking that the 49ers received this year as slowing down this group of players seems like an impossibility. There isn’t another roster that boasts All-Pros at wide receiver, tight end and running back as the 49ers do.
Finding a hole with this group is tough. But, as Barnwell points out, if you want to get picky, the injury history for some of them is quite lengthy.
“You can poke two holes in the 49ers’ playmakers for the purposes of this piece. One is the issue I just mentioned: A lot of these guys have injury histories. Kittle has missed time every season. Samuel is yet to play a full season as a pro. McCaffrey played 10 games between 2020 and 2021. Aiyuk and Kyle Juszczyk have been relatively healthy, but San Francisco getting all of these guys on the field for most of the second half of the season was a pleasant surprise.”
San Francisco was able to keep humming along last season despite quarterback injuries in large part because of the supporting cast that was put around the signal caller. Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in April before helping lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game just nine months later.
Having McCaffrey, Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle atop their positional depth charts is impressive. With solid depth and complementary players such as Elijah Mitchell, Kyle Juszcyzk and Juuan Jennings behind them is just the cherry on top.
When you add in the play calling and creativity of head coach Kyle Shanahan, it is easy to see why this group finds so much success regardless of who is under center. They are talented enough to elevate any quarterback that is leading the way and will be tasked with doing so again in 2023.
