49ers earn solid free agency grade from PFF

Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness released his free agency grades for all 32 NFL teams, and the San Francisco 49ers earned a respectable "B" grade.

McGuinness evaluated each team's most significant offseason moves. For the 49ers, that included the signings of wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and cornerback Nate Hobbs, along with the trade for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

Mike Evans bolsters 49ers WR room

The 49ers' wide receiver room is undergoing significant change this offseason. Kendrick Bourne and Skyy Moore are gone, Brandon Aiyuk appears to be on the way out, and Jauan Jennings remains an available free agent.

Enter Evans, the longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver.

"In a stunning turn of events, Evans will suit up elsewhere for the first time in his 13-year career," McGuinness wrote. "Although his production dipped in 2025 after he endured multiple injuries, he still managed a solid 1.62 yards per route run and caught 48% of his contested targets.

"Evans' presence will be coveted in a 49ers receiving room that will likely lose both Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk."

Osa Odighizuwa strengthens the 49ers' defensive line

The 49ers addressed two needs by trading for Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys—adding a starting-caliber interior defensive lineman while boosting their interior pass rush.

"Odighizuwa, a consistently good interior pass rusher, is likely to make a bigger impact than any player at the position the 49ers could have selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft," McGuinness wrote. "He has earned a 70.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade and registered 50 or more pressures in each of the past four seasons."

Dre Greenlaw returns to the 49ers

The 49ers will reunite their formidable linebacker duo of Fred Warner and Greenlaw for the 2026 season.

After a one-year stint with the Denver Broncos that did not go as planned, Greenlaw returned to the team that originally selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

"This is a reunion that makes complete sense," McGuinness wrote. "Although Greenlaw has struggled to stay on the field over the last two years, playing just 420 snaps in that span, he's remained a high-level run defender with a 90.2 PFF run-defense grade.

"Although Greenlaw's coverage capabilities appear to be on the decline, his presence will be welcome back with Fred Warner in San Francisco."

Nate Hobbs brings versatility to the 49ers' secondary

Hobbs will look to rejuvenate his career with the 49ers. While he has not surpassed a 61.7 defensive grade or 61.5 coverage grade over the past two seasons, he has consistently excelled in another key PFF metric—run defense.

Hobbs also showed significant promise during his rookie season in 2021, when he earned career-high 80.1 defensive and 78.0 coverage grades.

The 49ers hope a change of scenery can help the defensive back rediscover that form.

"Hobbs has never reached the heights of an impressive rookie season that saw him earn a 79.1 PFF grade as a fifth-round rookie out of Illinois for the Las Vegas Raiders," McGuinness wrote. "He's coming off a lone season for the Green Bay Packers that saw him earn a 77.4 PFF run defense grade and a 58.1 PFF coverage grade, and does at least offer the versatility of having experience both on the outside and in the slot."

The rest of the NFC West

How did the 49ers compare with the rest of the NFC West? Only the Los Angeles Rams earned a higher grade, and were one of just five NFL teams to earn better marks than San Francisco.

NFC West free agency grades:

• Los Angeles Rams: A
• San Francisco 49ers: B
• Seattle Seahawks: B-
• Arizona Cardinals: C+