San Francisco 49ers Underrepresented on NFC West All-Star Offense

Bleacher Report recently released its NFC West division all-star team, selecting the top offensive player at each position across the division. The San Francisco 49ers were represented by two obvious choices, but arguably snubbed on two others.

George Kittle earned the nod at tight end, as expected. Trey McBride may already be one of the NFL’s top five tight ends, and the NFC West team may want to run 12 personnel if they had a choice. But if you have to pick just one, when it comes to overall impact, Kittle’s unique blend of blocking and receiving ability still sets him apart and makes him nearly impossible to top.

At left tackle, Trent Williams was a no-brainer. Given the uncertainty at left tackle across the rest of the division, Williams easily holds his place as the standard-bearer. Charles Cross is the closest competition, but he’s not quite at Williams’ level yet.

The Surprising Omissions: McCaffrey and Aiyuk

The biggest surprises were the omissions of Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk.

Leaving McCaffrey off in favor of Kyren Williams is baffling. Every year, people wonder if Sean McVay will look to replace Williams, who has just 464 career receiving yards compared to McCaffrey, who averages over 550 receiving yards per season. Williams fits in a good scheme, McCaffrey transcends the scheme. Both players have dealt with injuries, so that’s hardly an excuse. This one feels like a clear miss.

As for Aiyuk, his exclusion is more understandable, but still debatable. He’s coming off an injury and a down 2024 season by his standards. Still, at this time last year, it would’ve been hard to leave him off a list like this. Instead, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were selected at receiver. Aiyuk has a more proven NFL résumé than either at this point, though you could argue that if any veteran receiver should feel most snubbed, it’s Davante Adams.