Last season, the 49ers ranked number one. Where are they before 2025?
Following a loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers returned a top-flight roster from top to bottom in 2024. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans flew off the rails, and the 49ers finished with a 6-11 record. Injuries, lack of execution, red zone issues, and many other factors contributed to the poor record.
Pro Football Focus previously ranked the 49ers as the number-one roster heading into 2024. Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of PFF tackled the NFL roster rankings for 2025. The 49ers have fallen to number 14.
Chadwick and Wasserman highlighted each team’s biggest strength and weakness from 2024, a rookie to watch, and an X-factor for 2025.
Biggest strength in 2024: Coverage
San Francisco’s coverage unit tried to keep the team in as many games as possible, particularly early in the season. In the end, the 49ers ranked third in the NFL in PFF coverage grade, behind the Eagles and Chargers. Leading the way was linebacker Fred Warner, who placed second at his position with an 88.4 PFF coverage grade.
Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green were huge bright spots for the 49ers’ defense in 2024. Charvarius Ward had a down season by his standards, which was caused by injuries and personal tragedy in his household. Malik Mustapha stepped up at safety, making the 49ers’ secondary’s future very bright moving forward.
Biggest weakness in 2024: Run defense
The 49ers’ defensive regression stemmed from their inability to stop the run. They owned the league’s fifth-worst PFF run-defense grade, marking the first time since 2018 that they ranked lower than 13th. Nick Bosa was the team’s only qualified defensive lineman who posted at least a 60.0 PFF run-defense grade.
The 49ers’ run defense was abysmal and with Robert Saleh returning became the focus of their 2025 draft. C.J. West, Alfred Collins, and Mykel Williams will anchor the defensive line for years to come. There will be bumps and bruises, but the 49ers run defense is certainly improved because it can’t be worse in 2025.
X-factor for 2025: RB Christian McCaffrey
Dealing with a litany of lower-body injuries, McCaffrey was essentially a non-factor in San Francisco’s 2024 season. He posted a career-high 90.3 PFF rushing grade in 2023, but he now enters his age-29 season with serious question marks. If McCaffrey is healthy, the 49ers have a playoff-worthy offense. If not, they could be too one-dimensional to compete with the NFC’s top contenders.
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers offense are counting on McCaffrey returning to his form to help the 49ers solve their red zone woes. Brock Purdy and the offense had no issues chewing up yards, but had issues turning red zone opportunities into touchdowns. It’s a dice roll to bet on McCaffrey’s health.
Rookie to watch: EDGE Mykel Williams
Along with fellow rookies Alfred Collins and CJ West, Mykel Williams was drafted to assist the 49ers’ defensive line in the run game. Across his three seasons at Georgia, Williams posted an outstanding 86.6 PFF run-defense grade. He isn’t particularly polished as a pass rusher yet, but his contributions in run defense alone make him an extremely important piece of Robert Saleh’s unit.
The first-round pick will be thrust into a big role in 2025. With the return of Saleh and Nick Bosa as his running mate on the EDGE, Williams is in a prime position to return value on day one for the 49ers.
2025 puts the 49ers in a nice situation of flying under the radar and being the hunter and not the hunted. Coming off a losing season, the 49ers have a chance to go from worst to first in the NFC West.