Seven 49ers make ‘PFF 101’ list for 2022
Feb 24, 2023, 6:00 AM | Updated: 8:19 am
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers had a special team in 2022, still receiving their flowers even in the offseason.
Pro Football Focus released its ‘PFF 101’ list this week, showcasing the best talent across the NFL landscape. The rankings compiled by PFF staff highlight the best players of the 2022 season, regardless of position. This year, seven 49ers players made the list, a testament to the team’s 14-game win streak, coalescing in an NFC Championship berth. Although the organization had a disappointing finish, its accomplishments last season haven’t gone unnoticed.
Below is the complete list of Niners to make the ‘PFF 101″ rankings, including thoughts on each player from the outlet’s staff.
No. 11: Defensive End Nick Bosa
“One of the game’s very best defenders this season, Bosa tied for the league lead with 90 pressures in the regular season before adding eight more in the playoffs. Bosa was a problem for any offense that had to block him, and he was the best run defender among the top edge rushers this season.”
No. 13: Left Tackle Trent Williams
“Williams has been arguably the league’s best offensive lineman over the last several seasons and did little this year to change that story. He led all offensive tackles in overall PFF grade (91.7) for the third year in a row, allowing 19 total pressures in 17 games.”
No. 31: Running Back Christian McCaffrey
“McCaffrey became the final version of his potential this season in San Francisco after the team traded for him midseason. He was an elite ball carrier and receiver, but his ability to line up all over the formation and interchange alignments with Deebo Samuel became a nightmare for opposing defenses to contend with.”
No. 34: Linebacker Fred Warner
“Warner continues to show he has a special ability as an NFL linebacker. He makes more improbable plays — such as running step for step with CeeDee Lamb down the seam from mugging the A-gap pre-snap — than any other linebacker in football.
No. 40: Tight End George Kittle
“When the 49ers need to lean on Kittle, he shows that he is still a dominant game-breaker. He generated almost 1,000 yards receiving, including the playoffs, but they tended to come in feast or famine bursts due to the volume of playmakers San Francisco can deploy. Passes thrown his way this season generated a 140.5 passer rating.”
No. 61: Cornerback Charvarius Ward
“Ward justified the contract the 49ers gave him in the offseason and had an excellent year. He finished with 11 pass breakups in addition to his lone interception and posted the best PFF run-defense grade of any outside cornerback (91.0).”
No. 86: Linebacker Dre Greenlaw
“Fred Warner is the superstar at linebacker for the 49ers, but Greenlaw has emerged as an excellent player in his own right alongside him. Greenlaw earned above-average PFF grades in every facet of play over the year and made 71 defensive stops including the playoffs, just one behind Warner.”
Click here to view the rest of PFF’s “The PFF 101” list
