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49ers own 10th-best roster ahead of draft in PFF ranking
Apr 23, 2021 at 6:42 AM
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Pro Football Focus recently completed its positional-by-position rankings for all 32 NFL teams. Now, it's time for analyst Anthony Treash to combine everything and determine the league's best overall rosters,
ranking each from best to worst.
"The list was heavily influenced by the two-year PFF WAR (wins above replacement) of the players who are currently on each roster, but it also had some subjective projection involved for those younger, emerging talents," Treash explained.
Obviously, things may change slightly in about a week, but for now, this is where each squad stands in Pro Football Focus' eyes as the league heads into the 2021 NFL Draft.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in at No. 1 on Treash's list. They did, after all, return most of their roster, including every starter on offense and defense. The Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs round out the top three.
Where do the San Francisco 49ers fall in this ranking? At No. 10. That's good enough for fifth in the NFC, behind only the Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers (4), Washington Football Team (8), and Dallas Cowboys (9), and the best among NFC West teams.
Treash shares his perceived draft fit by stating San Francisco will jump up a spot or two in this ranking once it selects quarterback Justin Fields of Ohio State as
Jimmy Garoppolo's eventual replacement.
"There's not much to complain about on offense other than quarterback," wrote Treash. "The offensive line is one of the better units in the league and is led by the highest-graded tackle of 2020,
Trent Williams. Tight end
George Kittle is in the conversation for best at his position, too, as he leads that group in receiving grade since 2018. The wide receiver room also has a couple of dynamic weapons with
Deebo Samuel and
Brandon Aiyuk."
While the offense is solid and helps lift the team to the No. 10 spot, there are some concerns on the other side of the ball. In Treash's eyes, most of that stems from the situation in the secondary.
"
Jason Verrett was a top-10 player at the position in terms of PFF grade last year, but we all know about his injury history," Treash added. "The other spot on the outside is set to be manned by
Emmanuel Moseley, but the former UDFA didn't play all that well on the job in 2020, earning a relatively poor 54.6 coverage grade."
Around the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams came in one spot later, at No. 11, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves at No. 13, and the Arizona Cardinals sit at No. 14.
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