Last season exposed the depth problems that plagued the San Francisco 49ers roster. This offseason they made some moves they’re hoping fix some of those depth problems.
However, there has to be more to it for the 49ers when it comes to adding youth to their aging roster. They need to find new stars.
Pro Football and Sports Network had left tackle Trent Williams listed as the 49ers’ best player. Other options we may have considered instead are running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner.
That’s an outstanding group of top-end talent, and they’re a key reason the 49ers may be able to bounce back and make a deep playoff run this season after a 6-11 finish in 2024. It’s also a group that’s quickly getting older where their ability to carry the load as the best players on a championship team will begin to diminish pretty quickly.
Williams will be 37 by the time training camp starts. He’s the oldest of that group. Bosa is the youngest and he turns 28 this season. Warner turns 29 this season. McCaffrey turned 29 in the offseason.
Quarterback Brock Purdy and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir both turn 26 this season. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk turns 27. That trio would ideally be headlining a core that has the 49ers contending for Super Bowls three seasons from now. Adding to that top-end group is where the 2024 and 2025 draft classes become essential for the 49ers’ future.
They need first-round picks like Ricky Pearsall or Mykel Williams to become stars who factor into the “best player” conversation for San Francisco. They would also greatly benefit from a Day 3 pick like CJ West or Malik Mustapha becoming an All-Pro caliber player the way Day 3 picks Kittle and Dre Greenlaw did.
This year the current group of “best players” should be good enough to get the 49ers back to Super Bowl contention. If they’re going to remain competitive in an expanded Super Bowl window, younger players will need to start taking leaps and establishing themselves as pieces of the team’s core.
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