Michael Robinson of NFL Network disagreed with Schein's ranking and reordered the divisions to his liking on Tuesday during an "NFL Total Access" segment. He agreed that the AFC West has the best crop of quarterbacks but dropped the NFC West down his list — all the way to the No. 7 spot below the AFC West, NFC North, NFC South, AFC South, AFC North, and NFC East.
Schein felt the presence and potential of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was enough to push the NFC West, which also has Russell Wilson, to the No. 2 spot. The division nearly ended up with the highest-ranking on Schein's list.
"I'm still drinking the Jimmy G Kool-Aid, especially with offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan calling the shots," wrote Schein. "If Garoppolo, coming off the ACL tear that ended his 2018 season in Week 3, is healthy, the Niners are going to surprise a lot of people."
RELATED
Why isn't the NFC West better in Robinson's opinion? After all, he spent eight NFL seasons in the division, playing four years with the 49ers and another four with the Seattle Seahawks. Robinson explains that the decision has nothing to do with Wilson but more with the remaining quarterbacks in the division.
Lindsay Rhodes reminded Robinson that the division has Super Bowl quarterback Jared Goff, Garoppolo, and talented rookie Kyler Murray.
"Garoppolo couldn't stay healthy," Robinson explained. "And then you talk about Goff, he got [to the Super Bowl] but what about when Sean McVay couldn't talk to him the last 15 seconds (of the play clock)? I think his quarterbacking gets a little bit bad when you can't talk to him the last 15 seconds."
Below are the rankings by Schein and Robinson.
| Rank | Schein | Robinson |
| 1 | AFC West | AFC West |
| 2 | NFC West | NFC North |
| 3 | NFC South | NFC South |
| 4 | AFC North | AFC South |
| 5 | AFC East | AFC North |
| 6 | NFC South | NFC East |
| 7 | AFC South | NFC West |
| 8 | NFC East | AFC East |
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers takeaways from Seahawks' Super Bowl win: Blueprint to reclaim the NFC West
While the irritation was high among the Faithful as the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in San Francisco's stadium—and got to use the 49ers' locker room during it, no less—the game was instructive. Boring. Good gracious, it was boring. But it was a lesson in how to win... -
49ers' CJ West eyes 'biggest jump' of career in 2026 outlook
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle CJ West understands that a significant leap is required in his second NFL season. West finished his rookie campaign with 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack while playing 32% of the defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave... -
Baldy names 49ers' top offseason priority to close the NFC gap
Much was made of Robert Saleh's return to the San Francisco 49ers last season and the potential impact it could have on the defense. Instead, injuries ravaged the unit, and the results reflected it. The 49ers finished 20th in total yards allowed, 13th in points allowed, tied... -
49ers vs. Rams in Australia will occur on Sept. 9 or 10
The San Francisco 49ers' international showdown with the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, is now expected to take place on either Wednesday, September 9, or Thursday, September 10, according to reporting from John Ourand of Puck, via Mike Florio of Pro Football...