Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports 1 recently named his top 10 NFC teams during The Herd and the San Francisco 49ers made the list – barely.
"Again, I think they're still in rebuilding mode," Cowherd said. "Great coach, franchise quarterback, nice defensive front."
Of course, the list only consists of NFC teams, of which there are only 16. Cowherd believes there are 10 teams in the conference which could compete for spots in the postseason.
"You can go 10 deep in the NFC until you get to a team where you're like, 'Ok, they're not going to win multiple playoff games, but they're rolling, and they've got players," he continued.
Only six NFC teams will make the playoffs, and the team that ranks one spot above the 49ers are the New York Giants, who won just three games last season. Although, they should be much-improved this season.
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The other NFC West team on the list are the Los Angeles Rams, who rank at the No. 3 spot. The Rams were very active this offseason and are a favorite to repeat as division champions. The 49ers, however, are a hot offseason pick to at least compete in the NFC West and make a playoff push in the second year of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan's rebuild.
San Francisco secured a key component of the rebuild when it secured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year deal in February. The 49ers also reworked their offensive line, added a versatile running back in Jerick McKinnon, and signed All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.
Below is Cowherd's complete top 10 NFC ranking.
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Rams
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Green Bay Packers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Giants
- San Francisco 49ers