Why Pro Football Focus Still Ranks 49ers' Weapons Top 5 in 2025

The San Francisco 49ers have been known for fielding some of the NFL’s most dangerous offensive weapons for quite some time now, and 2025 is expected to be no different. According to PFF, the 49ers boast the fifth-best receiving corps in the league.

“The 49ers' receiving corps is an unknown, given Brandon Aiyuk’s recovery from ACL and MCL tears and Christian McCaffrey’s limited playing time last season while dealing with PCL and Achilles injuries. But the fact of the matter is, McCaffrey has earned 84.0-plus PFF receiving grades in six of his eight seasons, including the last one in which he was fully healthy (2023), and Aiyuk was one of the highest-graded receivers in the league (91.7) in 2023.

If they are healthy and can feature alongside George Kittle — who ranked second in PFF receiving grade (92.6) among tight ends last season — as well as Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, the group deserves the benefit of the doubt, even without Deebo Samuel.”Trevor Sikkema, PFF

PFF is correct that, when healthy, this group clearly warrants a top-five ranking. However, lingering questions about Aiyuk and McCaffrey heading into 2025 cannot be ignored. Both players have uncertain recovery timelines and the risk of reinjury. Combining that with the need for younger players to step up in Deebo Samuel’s absence suggests PFF may actually be optimistic here.

It’s also worth noting that the 49ers rank ahead of teams such as the Vikings, Dolphins, and Rams — all of whom arguably have stronger wide-receiver duos now that Samuel is out of the picture. The difference comes down to Christian McCaffrey, one of the league’s best pass-catching backs, and George Kittle, still the premier two-way tight end in football.

If you’re skeptical about McCaffrey holding up at his age or Aiyuk returning to form quickly, you could reasonably argue the 49ers belong closer to ninth. On the flip side, if both are healthy and productive, they could easily challenge Detroit for the No. 4 spot.

Detroit’s receiving group is similar in construction, with its top three weapons being a wide receiver, a tight end, and a running back. But even factoring in the age difference, most would still bet on Kittle and McCaffrey over Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Ultimately, San Francisco’s ranking seems fair, depending on how optimistic you are about key players recovering from injury.