Monday, May 16, 2022

San Francisco 49ers Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the San Francisco 49ers rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 9 (8th)
  • Best ranking: 5 (NFL.com)
  • Worst ranking: 14 (USA Today)

Below you will find a post-NFL Draft roundup for the 49ers in our consensus 2022 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 14

Player who benefited most from draft: WR Deebo Samuel

The Niners spent two of their first three picks on a running back and a receiver, which should be beneficial to quarterback Trey Lance. But, for as odd as it might sound, this draft could be equally beneficial to Samuel. Samuel accounted for 28% of the Niners' yards from scrimmage in 2021, which was the fourth most by a player in the NFL. Of course Samuel wants to keep getting the ball and playing a significant role, but if part of his dispute with the Niners is over his potential longevity, it stands to reason that adding help at the skill positions -- particularly running back -- could help lighten his load and settle his issues with the team. -- Nick Wagoner

NFL.com -- Rank: 9

In our post-free agency Power Rankings -- published on March 22-- I led my Niners entry thusly: "Jimmy G is still hanging around." Well, it's now May 2 -- and Jimmy G, like a college dropout at a high school kegger in the woods, continues to linger. This isn't Garoppolo's fault, of course -- shoulder surgery very clearly mucked up his market. Meanwhile, the Niners don't seem at all eager to move superstar wide receiver Deebo Samuel, trade demand be damned. Kyle Shanahan said on Friday the 49ers have yet to receive an offer that was "even remotely close" to what they'd consider fair. One explanation for that, as a prominent NFL reporter recently said to me, is that San Francisco has been "really unreasonable" in trade conversations. This entire scenario boils down to the team having no interest in parting ways with its most explosive player.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 5

The quarterback situation is still unsettled, and if it's Trey Lance as the starter they might have to be patient early on. There is still an abundance of talent on this roster to make it a lot easier for him.

USA Today -- Rank: 8

We think Trey Lance will be QB1, though it's not clear how ready he is. We think All-Pro Deebo Samuel will remain on the roster, though it's not clear how much of a distraction he'll be. We think this team will be pretty good, though it's not clear how many off-field issues coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch will have to manage, especially if QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains in the background.

The Athletic -- Rank: 9

This was supposed to be the offseason the 49ers moved forward with their plan to build their offense around second-year quarterback Trey Lance and do-everything receiver Deebo Samuel. That might still be the desired plan, but it's been, well, complicated. The 49ers haven't found a trading partner for 2021 starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Samuel wants out. With all that drama, it's easy to forget just how close the 49ers were to winning the NFC last season.

More San Francisco 49ers pages:

Previous updates:

More of our content:

Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.