ESPN reviewed each team’s starting lineups on both sides of the ball to determine which team had the strongest roster in the NFL. They named the biggest strength, the weakness, the X-factor, and the non-starter to know.
The San Francisco 49ers’ win total is among the highest in the NFL once again, suggesting this team has one of the better rosters in the NFL. They are set in premium positions like quarterback, wide receiver, edge rusher, and tackle. The secondary and depth leave enough to be desired to raise questions, and a top-heavy roster makes them tough to pick against.
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Brock Purdy is listed as the 49ers’ biggest strength
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the Niners quarterback is listed as the team’s biggest strength:
Biggest strength: Quarterback. I could’ve gone a few directions here, but Brock Purdy‘s continued strong play, coupled with Mac Jones‘ solid performance in relief duty last season, is enough to push quarterback to the top. Durability has been an issue for Purdy, but his efficiency has been elite, as he has finished his three seasons as a starter ranked first, seventh and, most recently, second in QBR. He threw 20 TDs in only nine games last season — a pace matched only by Matthew Stafford.
The ceiling of the team, not just the offense, is drastically different with Purdy on the field. With the weapons around Purdy this year, the floor will be higher than it’s been in a few seasons.
It goes without saying that Purdy needs to stay healthy for this operation to peak, but it’s not a stretch to say that we could see the best version of Purdy this season.
The interior defensive line is still viewed as a weakness
The 49ers got next to no production-wise from their defensive tackle group in 2025. That’s a big reason why they went out and traded for Osa Odighizuwa and used another draft pick on a defensive tackle. Despite that, ESPN still believes this group is the biggest weakness on the roster:
Biggest weakness: Interior defensive line. This is the same concern area as last year, and the 49ers went on to finish 31st in pressures (157) and last in sacks (20) in 2025. Some help was added in the form of Osa Odighizuwa, who was effective while playing 62% of Dallas’ defensive snaps during his first five pro seasons. Behind him are second-year players Alfred Collins and C.J. West, who tied for the second-worst PFF grade among 115 qualified defensive tackles last season, and fourth-round rookie Gracen Halton.
The Niners need Collins to play up to his draft status for this group to be viewed any differently. It wouldn’t hurt if Halton produced like he did last year at Oklahoma. He’s walking into a situation where he can produce, but that is not a position where rookies generally hit the ground running.
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The X-Factor is WR1
The X-factor listed was…Mike Evans?
X factor for 2026: WR Mike Evans. He signed a below-market deal that made him a no-brainer addition for the 49ers. But it would be foolish to pretend there isn’t risk. Evans will be 33 before the season starts, he played in only eight games in 2025, and his open score dropped to a below-average 46 (the scale goes from 0 to 99). He scored a 91 the prior season. If Evans isn’t what the 49ers hope or expect, San Francisco will quickly become very reliant on Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk and/or second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling.
Evans was open last year. I wonder how that open score works and how it lets other factors, like the quarterback’s accuracy, influence it.
The success and how far this team may go likely hinge on Evans’ health, but I view X-factors as players like Jacob Cowing, Jordan James, Malik Mustapha, or an under-the-radar role player.
Non-starter to know is a rookie
De’Zhaun Stribling doesn’t start, but he’ll inevitably play starter snaps:
Nonstarter to know: Stribling. Kyle Shanahan offenses used to dominate the league in yards after the catch. But last season, Pearsall was last in the league in YAC vs. expectation, and new 49er Evans was next-to-last. So where are the 49ers going to get their big YAC plays? Perhaps they will come from this tall and fast second-round rookie out of Ole Miss, who will start out competing with Kirk for snaps out of the slot.
Pearsall was never much of a YAC threat in college, so there’s certainly room for the 49ers to improve in that area. Adding speed like Stribling could go a long way. He has the size to break tackles and the acceleration to turn an underneath or intermediate target into an explosive play. That is not something the wideouts were capable of a year ago.
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Between Stribling, Cowing, Jordan Watkins, and Christian Kirk, the spacing and speed will be night and day from the wideouts on the field in 2025.
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