Following free agency in March, the San Francisco 49ers sat at No. 3 in ESPN's power rankings, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. With the 2023 NFL Draft in the rearview morrow, Kyle Shanahan's squad has dropped a couple of spots.
The Chiefs still sit at No. 1, with the Cincinnati Bengals coming in second and the Eagles now at third. The Buffalo Bills are the No. 4 ranked team. San Francisco rounds out the top five.
ESPN names defensive tackle as the 49ers' most-improved position, primarily thanks to the addition of former Eagles defensive lineman Javon Hargrave.
"The 49ers had one of the least productive defensive tackle groups in the NFL in 2022, as they generated a combined 59 pressures, fourth-fewest in the league," wrote Nick Wagoner. "Arik Armstead, who missed eight games with foot and ankle issues, had the most pressures among Niners defensive tackles with just 14."
San Francisco signed Hargrave, one of the offseason's top free agents, to a four-year, $84 million deal, bolstering a unit that the team has struggled to improve since trading away DeForest Buckner.
"Enter big-ticket free agent Javon Hargrave, who accounted for 53 pressures and nine sacks last season with a 14.1% pressure rate (the best in the NFL among tackles with at least 500 pass rushes over the past two seasons)," added Wagoner. "The Niners are counting on Hargrave to elevate their defensive line back to 2019 levels of dominance."
As for the rest of the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks are the next highest-ranked team at No. 11. The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals appear further down the list at No. 25 and No. 32, respectively.