49ers playmakers take a hit: Why ESPN dropped them to No. 4 in 2025

For the past two years, the San Francisco 49ers ranked No. 1 in ESPN's annual NFL playmaker rankings, compiled by analyst Bill Barnwell. However, after a turbulent offseason and key roster changes, the team enters the 2025 season with a revamped offensive identity—and a lower ranking.

Barnwell dropped the 49ers to No. 4 on his latest list, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Cincinnati Bengals overtaking them. The decline follows the departure of several key contributors and lingering injury concerns.

San Francisco traded star wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders. Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from ACL and MCL injuries suffered in October and is not expected to be ready for the start of the season. Meanwhile, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that limited him to just four games and an unremarkable stat line.

While McCaffrey has the potential to return to form, Barnwell cautions against assuming the running back is ready to take on a full-season workload, given his history.

"It's impossible to project injuries, but it's unrealistic to treat McCaffrey as a 17-game starter for the purpose of these rankings," Barnwell wrote. "The Niners also soured on Deebo Samuel Sr. and traded him to the Commanders to help ease their cap burden, nominally replacing him with journeyman Demarcus Robinson."

Robinson could miss the start of the season due to a potential three-game suspension. With Samuel gone and Aiyuk sidelined, San Francisco is expected to rely on Jauan Jennings and second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall as Week 1 starters.

"San Francisco's third-down weapon was a real thing, as Jennings ranked 37th in catches on first and second down, but fifth on third down," Barnwell noted. "He's not Samuel in terms of working after the catch, but Jennings was tough to bring down and willing to make catches in tight quarters, which led to him finishing 12th in ESPN's receiver score this past season."

Tight end George Kittle earned even higher praise, ranking second in the league in ESPN's receiver score, behind only A.J. Brown.

The 49ers also remain optimistic about Pearsall's potential. After a gunshot wound to the chest delayed his NFL debut last year, he finished strong, posting 210 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the final two games of the season.

Still, Pearsall ranked just 25th in receiver score and averaged 1.5 yards per route run, and that factored into the 49ers' placement within the playmaker rankings.

"Though he was seemingly able to get open, those opportunities didn't yield targets very often," Barnwell added. "It's always going to be tough to attract a lofty target share with so many mouths to feed, but if Pearsall can emerge as a legitimate starting wideout, the 49ers will have a strong case to head back up to the top of these rankings in 2026."