The San Francisco 49ers are an enigma. Two years ago they were just minutes away from their sixth Super Bowl trophy. Last season injuries forced them to crawl across the finish line at 6-10 and the No. 12 overall pick. Now they go into 2021 with the No. 3 overall pick in tow following a pre-draft trade, along with a slate of returning starters that has the roster resembling something close to the 2019 club that went to the Super Bowl. The inability to determine exactly what version of the 49ers we’ll get is why they landed at No. 15 in the NFL Wire post-draft power rankings.
Pre-season ranks don’t mean a ton, but somewhere in the middle is probably where San Francisco should be. Their quarterback situation is a question mark in two ways. First, Jimmy Garoppolo’s health is a concern. Second, rookie signal caller Trey Lance’s readiness to orchestrate an NFL offense is unknown. That alone will keep them from climbing high in any pre-season power rankings.
The good news for the 49ers is that they’ll trend up before they trend down as long as they’re healthy. Climbing back to the middle after finishing last season on the sour note they did is a good early sign for the direction they’re headed.
