ESPN awards 49ers favorable offseason grade for roster continuity

The 49ers are presently among the favorites to make it back to the Super Bowl in February of next year since they kept the majority of their NFC Championship-winning team from the previous campaign.

Although San Francisco didn’t create many splashes throughout the summer, ESPN’s Seth Walder was happy with the 49ers’ offseason management, awarding San Francisco a “B” grade for their actions during the previous four months.

Walder was very interested in what San Francisco had done at wide receiver throughout the offseason. Though he questioned the 49ers’ choice of Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 pick in the first round, he supported the team’s decision to keep star wideout Brandon Aiyuk in the middle of his contract negotiations.

Walder commented of the Pearsall pick, “Though a fine prospect, that was probably the largest non-QB reach on the first round based on expectations of where players would be drafted.”

Walder feels that general manager John Lynch ought to give Arizona State product Aiyuk, 26, more priority in the wide receivers room than Deebo Samuel, 28.

The San Francisco defensive line was identified by Walder as another crucial area undergoing change this summer. The analyst predicted that the 49ers will acquire defensive tackle Maliek Collins, a former Texan, to help fill the holes up the middle left by linemen Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw.

“A longtime underrated pass-rushing threat who ranked 12th in pass rush win rate at defensive tackle (13 percent) in 2023 and accumulated 5.0 sacks,” was how Walder described the eight-year veteran Collins.

In 2023, Collins had probably the best season of his career, with career highs in total tackles (41) and quarterback hits (18) while playing in Houston. His output will be especially crucial for a 49ers defensive line that isn’t as deep as it was in previous seasons.

Ultimately, considering its already elite squad, San Francisco undoubtedly finds it difficult to be upset over a “B” grade. In hindsight, however, the 49ers might easily go up to a “A” with another trip to the Super Bowl, even if they don’t win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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