Pro Football Focus Ranks the 49ers' Roster 14th out of 32 NFL Teams

So much can change in 12 months.

At this time last year, Pro Football Focus ranked the 49ers' roster No. 1 out of 32 NFL teams. But after losing 11 games last season, missing the playoffs and losing 9 starters in free agency, their roster isn't nearly as talented or deep as it was a year ago.

That's why Pro Football Focus just ranks the 49ers' roster 14th among 32 teams.

"The team traded Deebo Samuel this offseason and has several questions to answer on defense," write PFF's Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman.

The return of Robert Saleh will help, but a defense starting up to six rookies almost certainly will go through growing pains. So it's hard to expect Saleh's unit to be the driving force of a playoff team in 2025.

That's why PFF says Christian McCaffrey is the 49ers' X-factor this year.

"Dealing with a litany of lower-body injuries, McCaffrey was essentially a non-factor in San Francisco’s 2024 season," write Chadwick and Wasserman. "He posted a career-high 90.3 PFF rushing grade in 2023, but he now enters his age-29 season with serious question marks. If McCaffrey is healthy, the 49ers have a playoff-worthy offense. If not, they could be too one-dimensional to compete with the NFC's top contenders."

Even if McCaffrey is healthy this year, he may no longer have the quickness and burst to be an elite player. Last year, he forced just five missed tackles in four games and topped out at 17.4 miles per hour. And he was fully after carefully coming back from bilateral Achilles tendonitis. And then he tore his PCL after just four games.

It seems unlikely to expect McCaffrey to carry the offense like he used to.