CBS’s Pete Prisco just ranked the top 100 players in the NFL and the 49ers had a NFL-high nine players make the list. Here’s where each player finished along with my take on their ranking.
3. Trent Williams
Only Patrick Mahomes and Myles Garrett rank higher, which is fair because Williams is the best offensive lineman in the NFL and the most valuable on the 49ers — they’re 3-6 when he doesn’t play. He’s not the most violent offensive lineman of all time, but he might be the most agile one, which makes him nearly impossible to beat in pass protection, plus he’s outstanding at lead blocking on outside runs. He makes the entire 49ers offense work.
8. Christian McCaffrey
He’s the best running back in the NFL and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, but ranking him ahead of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Travis Kelce seems rich.
10. Nick Bosa
He was the Defensive Player of the Year for 2022, but he wasn’t even the best player on his own defense in 2023 — Fred Warner was. So ranking Bosa ahead of Warner and Maxx Crosby and Chris Jones seems wrong.
22. Fred Warner
This seems like a fair ranking because he’s the best player on the 49ers defense and the best linebacker in the NFL, particularly in coverage. That being said, his run defense wasn’t great last season.
37. George Kittle.
Kittle still is the second-best tight end in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean he’s a top-40 player in the league. Last season, he ranked just third on the 49ers in catches. He’s a complementary player. And he’s not the blocker he used to be when he was in his 20s.
45. Brandon Aiyuk.
This seems ranking seems a bit too low. At this point in Aiyuk’s career, he’s clearly better than Kittle and Jaylen Waddle, both of whom ranked ahead of Aiyuk on this list.
60. Charvarius Ward.
This ranking seems way, way too low. Ward is one of the top cornerbacks in the league. He’s better than L’Jarius Snead, who shut down Aiyuk in the Super Bowl. And when Ward and Aiyuk match up in training camp, Ward typically wins that matchup. He’s a top 40 player in the NFL.
81. Deebo Samuel.
This seems fair. Samuel isn’t the wide receiver he once was, but he still is a huge threat with the ball in his hands, which is why he scored 12 touchdowns last season.
85. Brock Purdy.
This is far too low. It’s still early in Purdy’s career, but he should be ranked near C.J. Stroud, who’s no. 38 on this list. I think most people would take Purdy over Kittle, Aiyuk, Ward and Samuel.