Despite the beating and 529 total yards that the San Francisco 49ers gave up in their loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, there are eight players on the team that rank within the top 20 within the respective position groups according to advanced statistics site Pro Football Focus.

No, quarterback Blaine Gabbert is not among the highly ranked 49ers. In fact, he ranked third to last (32) among the 34 quarterbacks that have played so far this season. Only Aaron Rodgers and Robert Griffin rank below him.


Despite the unit's improved pass protection this season, Joe Staley is the lone offensive player that is ranked in the top 20 at his position. The good news is that the All-Pro veteran ranks second among all NFL tackles, behind only Detroit Lions tackle Riley Reiff.

The 49ers defense gave up a lot of yards on Sunday. A lot. However, they gave up very little the week before which seems to have evened things out a bit. There are a number of players within the 49ers secondary that not only ranked within the top 20 within their position groups, but within the top six. Jimmie Ward ranks third among all cornerbacks while Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea rank first and sixth among safeties.

The 49ers secondary gave up 353 passing yards and four touchdowns by the Panthers. The week prior, they gave up only 120.

Eli Harold just missed the top 25 among edge defenders, coming in at number 26.

Below are the eight 49ers that ranked within the top 20 within their position groups.


Player Group Rank
Joe Staley Tackles 2
Jimmie Ward Cornerbacks 3
Eric Reid Safeties 1
Antoine Bethea Safeties 6
NaVorro Bowman Linebackers 12
Ray-Ray Armstrong Linebackers 20
Arik Armstead Interior Defenders 15
Quinton Dial Interior Defenders 16


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