The 49ers have a new-look offensive skill group, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes it’s one of the NFL’s five best.
In his annual ranking of NFL teams by offensive skill position groups, Barnwell slotted the 49ers fifth heading into the 2026 season, dropping one spot from their No. 4 ranking a year ago and falling four spots from the No. 1 ranking they held in 2024.
The teams ahead of the 49ers this year: the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons.
The core of what makes this 49ers group compelling remains intact. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle — two of the most dominant players at their respective positions over the past decade — are back, and they are now joined by six-time Pro Bowl selection Mike Evans, who arrives after a decade of 1,000-yard seasons in Tampa Bay and projects as a future Hall of Famer.
Rounding out the group are second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling, and third-round selection Kaelon Black, who will compete to back up McCaffrey.
“Between Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and new addition Mike Evans, the 49ers can call on surefire Hall of Famers at each spot in the lineup,” Barnwell wrote.
But Barnwell is careful not to let the star power obscure a very real concern — this group’s collective injury history is difficult to ignore.
“How confident are you that you’ll get the typical healthy seasons from all those players?” Barnwell wrote. “Kittle is coming off a campaign that had already been impacted by hamstring and ankle issues before he tore his right achilles in the playoffs. Evans was limited to eight games by hamstring and collarbone injuries. McCaffrey was healthy all season, but he has missed significant time in three of the past six campaigns. All three are on the wrong side of 30.”
Pearsall’s situation adds another layer of uncertainty. The 2024 first-round pick was building momentum toward a breakout season before a posterior cruciate ligament injury cost him nine games, leaving the 49ers with an important unanswered question heading into camp.
Still, Barnwell is not writing this group off. McCaffrey posted his third career 2,000-scrimmage-yard season in 2025. Kittle is reportedly well ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab and could be ready for Week 1. Despite the injury-shortened 2025 campaign, Evans was one of the NFL’s most efficient wideouts as recently as 2024.
“We’re not far removed from McCaffrey, Kittle and Evans all having elite seasons,” Barnwell wrote. “There’s a No. 1 playmaker group on paper here.”
Kyle Shanahan has never lacked for weapons, but even by his standards, this group is different. The question is not whether the talent is there. It is whether McCaffrey, Kittle and Evans can give him enough healthy Sundays to prove what this offense is capable of when it is firing on all cylinders.