Why 49ers players’ NFL Top 100 rankings are fair or unfair originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams are all but guaranteed to be among the final 10 players revealed Friday night on NFL Network’s “NFL Top 100.” Seven of their 49ers teammates already have been announced on the prestigious list, with fans begging the question: Did the voters — which are the players themselves — get it right?

We broke down each of San Francisco‘s selections on the list and delivered a verdict determining if the ranking was fair or unfair.

Greenlaw is the heart and soul of San Francisco’s vaunted defense which has finished as a top-ten unit every year since his NFL arrival in 2019. Often overshadowed simply because he stars next to this era’s preeminent off-ball linebacker in Fred Warner, Greenlaw deservedly gets his shine with a second consecutive nod on the Top 100 after taking the No. 79 spot in 2023.

Greenlaw recorded 120 tackles in 15 regular-season games last season, serving as the enforcer on the second level of San Francisco’s defense. Of the nine primarily off-ball linebackers on the 2024 Top 100, Greenlaw ranked 7th.

VERDICT: Fair. Greenlaw is the 1B to the best linebacker duo in the game, and he undoubtedly belongs among the NFL’s top-10 players at his position, and this ranking has him there.

Aiyuk’s placing stands out among the more egregious misses on a list that never fails to generate controversy. No high-volume NFL receiver was more efficient with their touches in 2023 than Aiyuk, who averaged 17.9 yards per reception on 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors.

The first 90 spots on the Top 100 included 18 receivers, with 11 ranking ahead of Aiyuk despite eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons. Having really good teammates appears to be the only thing holding Aiyuk back from leaping up the list, as his production undoubtedly suffered while splitting targets with the 49ers’ stockpile of offensive weapons. Despite this, he still finished with the seventh most receiving yards in the NFL during the 2023 season, a testament to his big-play ability.

VERDICT: Unfair. Aiyuk shouldn’t be penalized for having good teammates who take away targets. Talent alone should have him ranked among the NFL’s top-10 wideouts. I’d have him ranked No. 46, ahead of Chicago‘s Keenan Allen (No. 51) and just behind Cincinnati‘s Ja’Marr Chase (No. 45).

Samuel’s top-30 placing is a good reminder that reputation goes a long way with the players casting votes for the Top 100. Samuel had a solid 2023 season as a receiver, recording 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. The six-year veteran also added 225 rushing yards on 37 carries, cashing in another five touchdowns on the ground.

It is no secret Samuel is among the most dangerous players in the league with the ball in his hands, but the gravity created by his presence alone is extremely valuable as well, creating opportunities for teammates with the attention he receives from opposing defenses week after week.

Samuel’s magnum opus was a dominant three-touchdown performance in San Francisco’s Week 12 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles, where the veteran receiver took control at Lincoln Financial Field and brought a deafening silence to the home crowd.

VERDICT: Fair. Samuel, like Aiyuk, is a victim of the talent surrounding him. Still, he managed to average 14.8 yards per reception and over six yards per carry in 2023.

Admittedly, I was unsure where the NFL would view Purdy after his first full season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Would players hold his All-Star cast of weapons and offensive guru head coach against him? To my surprise, they didn’t, and that was the right call.

Purdy was exceptional during the 2023 season, leading the NFL in passer rating (113.0) and yards per attempt (9.6) while looking like a battle-tested veteran rather than a second-year player coming off major offseason surgery. San Francisco averaged 28.9 points per game, throttling opponents on a regular basis by eclipsing the 30-point mark in over half its games, in large part due to Purdy offering a steady hand behind the wheel while piloting the 49ers’ explosive offense.

Don’t let the underdog narrative fool you — Purdy is a franchise-caliber NFL quarterback, and his peers clearly recognize him as such, ranking him ahead of proven highly respected signal-callers like Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (No. 39) and Los Angeles’ Mathew Stafford (No. 42).

VERDICT: Fair. Purdy was among the best quarterbacks in the league last season, and this ranking reflects it. I believe they nailed it, as having him at No. 28 places him ahead of players like Miami‘s Tua Tagovailoa and Green Bay‘s Jordan Love, but behind the uber-elite tier of quarterbacks like Josh Allen (No. 12), Lamar Jackson (likely top 10) and Patrick Mahomes (likely top 10).

By far the biggest miss on this list, for any player, not just the 49ers. There simply are not 26 NFL players who are better or more valuable than Bosa. While Bosa did see his sack production decline from 18.5 to 10.5 a season after winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he still finished third in QB pressures (98), per Pro Football Focus.

That’s eight more than the 90 he had in 2022 while earning the most prestigious individual honor dedicated to defensive players. There’s simply no objective reasoning to justify Bosa’s freefall from his No. 4 ranking in 2023’s Top 100 list to No. 27 in this year’s edition. Sacks largely are dependent on outside factors like how long the quarterback holds the ball, coverage, and the defensive players around you.

Bosa’s pressure production increasing while his sack number decreased is a good reminder to avoid outdated metrics when evaluating individual pass-rushing success.

VERDICT: Unfair. This was an abysmal miss and serves as a good reminder that even those who play the game at the highest level shouldn’t have their opinion taken as gospel. I would have had Bosa at least 10 spots higher, near Dallas‘ Micah Parsons who ranked No. 17 (which also was too low).

Often lost in the shuffle of the 49ers’ dynamic offense, Kittle quietly had one of his best seasons in 2023. The dynamic tight end recorded his third-career 1,000-yard receiving season — and first since 2019 — while hauling in six touchdowns.

Kittle’s value to San Francisco transcends his pass-catching ability, as he has earned a long-standing reputation as one of the best run-blocking tight ends the NFL has ever seen. The eight-year veteran averaged 15.7 yards per catch in 2023, the highest mark among all tight ends with at least 15 receptions. The strong season deservedly earned Kittle his second-career First-Team All-Pro nod.

Kittle’s exceptional efficiency paired with his unmatched energy make him an irreplaceable piece on a team that seemingly contends every season.

VERDICT: Fair. One of the most versatile offensive weapons in the league, Kittle clearly has earned the respect of his peers with a top-15 ranking. I believe they got this one right, I have no issue with the ranking.

Typically you wouldn’t associate being slighted with a near-top 10 ranking, but Warner is one of those special talents that fits the bill. He still deserves to be higher, despite ranking as one of the NFL’s best players at any position according to his peers after earning

Warner not only is the nerve center of a 49ers’ defense that has finished as a top-10 unit for five consecutive seasons, but he’s pioneering a player archetype the NFL never has seen before. Linebackers typically are asked not to be a liability in coverage — take care of tight ends, running backs and don’t make big mistakes. Warner is tasked with not only being an asset, but regularly is left on an island with the opposing team’s No. 1 receiving options, and consistently wins matchups that would have been unfathomable in the NFL even a decade ago.

Having a player who thumps in the box with the best of them while being able to cover like a defensive back arguably has been the greatest catalyst for San Francisco’s run as one of the league’s most feared defenses.

Bosa has the hardware, but Warner is the most important player on the 49ers’ defense. Entering year seven, I still don’t believe we’ve seen his best yet.

VERDICT: Unfair, but just barely. Warner is a unicorn, among the handful of players currently in the league you could build a strong case for as a generational talent. I’d have him ranked No. 7, behind players like Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Miami’s Tyreek Hill.

This story will be updated with reaction to McCaffrey and Williams’ rankings …

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