Six 49ers players make Pro Football Focus 2023 Top 50 list
Jul 21, 2023, 2:00 PM | Updated: 2:28 pm
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: The San Francisco 49ers defense celebrates after an interception by Emmanuel Moseley #41 in the first half against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers have been topping the rankings across various platforms the past few weeks, doing so once again with Pro Football Focus.
PFF released its top 50 NFL players right now, in the buildup to the 2023 season, On that list, six 49ers players were placed inside the Top 50, with three of them inside the Top 15. San Francisco has the most players of any single team on PFF’s rankings this year.
This comes after the 49ers had several members rank near the top on ESPN’s rankings, and the upcoming video game, Madden NFL 24.
PFF’s 2023 Top 50 Players List has 6 Niners on it:
#3 Trent Williams
#6 Nick Bosa
#14 Fred Warner
#39 George Kittle
#44 Christian McCaffrey
#50 Deebo Samuel pic.twitter.com/6lRGyHCS6s— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) July 21, 2023
Trent Williams is the first Niner mentioned on the list, coming in at No. 3 overall.
Despite turning 34 years old, Williams has only improved his play since joining the 49ers in 2020. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only six OTs have earned multiple first-team All-Pros after age 30: Walter Jones, Anthony Munoz, Andrew Whitworth, Joe Thomas, Willie Roaf, and now Williams. This past season, the Texas native only allowed 19 pressures in 17 games played.
Nicknamed “Silverback,” the offensive lineman has four years remaining on his deal with the 49ers, which will likely be the final contract of his illustrious career.
Defensive end Nick Bosa is next, coming in at No. 6 overall.
The 25-year-old was the most dominant defensive player last season, racking up 18.5 sacks and 48 quarterback hits. He earned his first Defensive Player of the Year honors for his play in 2022. Surprisingly, Cleveland Browns’ pass rusher Myles Garrett was ranked higher by PFF at No. 5.
The Ohio State alum is in line to receive a massive contract extension this offseason, likely making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
Who has the most sacks over the last two seasons?
Nick Bosa 🐻 pic.twitter.com/6hBDjLhiXK
— PFF (@PFF) July 21, 2023
We stay on the defensive side with Fred Warner coming in at No. 14 overall.
The BYU alum solidified himself as the best middle linebacker in the game in 2022, showcasing his ability to be everywhere on the field. The 49ers’ defensive leader, Warner racked up 130 combined tackles, 10 pass defenses, and two sacks en route to his second All-Pro selection of his career.
Going back to the offense, the People’s Tight End, George Kittle, ranks 39th overall heading into 2023.
Playing with three different quarterbacks last season, the Iowa alum still managed to end the year with 11 touchdowns, tied for third amongst TEs. he also had 765 receiving yards on 60 catches. Only Kansas City Chief, Travis Kelce, is ranked higher than him at the position (No. 4 overall).
Approaching age 30, Kittle has amassed more than 5,000 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in six seasons in the NFL. He has three years left on his deal, making more than $12 million this upcoming season.
Next is running back Christian McCaffrey, coming in at 44th overall in the rankings.
Getting traded to San Francisco midseason, CMC amassed more than 1500 scrimmage yards and 14 total TDs in 11 games in Red & Gold. The Stanford alum now has three seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 700 receiving yards, trailing only Marshall Faulk (four) in NFL history.
The third-best at his position, CMC is behind Nick Chubb (No. 37) and Derrick Henry (No. 42) for PFF.
Last but not least: Deebo Samuel, sliding in at 50th overall.
The South Carolina alum sees his ranking slide after an injury-filled 2022 season left him with disappointing results. He finished the year playing 13 games for 864 scrimmage yards and five total TDs. Samuel inked a three-year, $71 million deal to remain with the 49ers before the start of training camp last season, vowing to make up for a self-proclaimed “awful’ season, this year.
In odd years: 31 games, 134 catches, 2,027 yards (16.5 ypr), 9 TD, 7.2 ypc, 11 TDs.
In even years: 20 games, 89 catches, 1,023 yards (11.5 ypr), 3 TD, 5.2 ypc, 3 TDs.
Is a big bounce back on the way for #49ers WR Deebo Samuel after "sluggish" '22?https://t.co/OGLlaasp2k
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) July 17, 2023
Click here to read the full rankings from Pro Football Focus.
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