Not too shabby.
The 49ers placed 10th in ESPN’s ranking of projected starting lineups for all 32 NFL teams entering the 2025 season in an article published Monday.
ESPN’s Mike Clay considered San Francisco’s tight end room its biggest strength. He admitted he “could’ve gone a few directions,” but ultimately believes star George Kittle is in for yet another big campaign and the offseason additions of Luke Farrell and Ross Dwelley stand as “upgraded depth.”
Regarding concerns, Clay highlighted the 49ers’ defensive tackles.
“I was tempted to go with the secondary, but … Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave signed elsewhere, and the team’s only impact additions were draft picks Alfred Collins (second round) and CJ West (fourth),” Clay wrote. “Jordan Elliott (a rotational player) tops the depth chart, and competitors Kevin Givens, Evan Anderson and Kalia Davis all played less than 30 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season.”
San Francisco tried to address its defense early in the 2025 NFL Draft, but — especially after the key departures Clay mentioned — only time will tell if the 49ers’ interior improves, following a 2024 season in which they allowed a fourth-worst 25.6 points per game.
Clay represents most people invested in the 49ers by highlighting absent stars, particularly running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, as the team’s x-factors for the upcoming season. If they can play, great; if not, Clay believes a lot of pressure will be put on Ricky Pearsall to break out in his second NFL campaign. And that’s before mentioning what might or might not happen with Jauan Jennings.
Lastly, Clay named Farrell as a “nonstarter to know.”
Farrell was the 49ers’ most expensive free-agent signing, having agreed to a three-year $20.25 million contract, and is slotted to take pressure off Kittle. Farrell is known for his run-blocking ability and likely will play a share of snaps beside Kittle in coach Kyle Shanahan’s retooled offense.
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