The 49ers have a lot of very good players. Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are all headliners who get plenty of praise as reasons San Francisco has been in Super Bowl contention despite their woes at quarterback.
While the high praise is well-earned for those stars, it leaves a slew of other important players flying under the radar. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar wrote a piece highlighting every team’s most underrated player, and listed linebacker Dre Greenlaw for the 49ers.
Here’s Farrar on Greenlaw:
Last year, Greenlaw had a career-best season with a sack, six quarterback pressures, 125 solo tackles, 71 stops, and 87 catches allowed on 111 targets for 708 yards, 453 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 95.5. Basically, Greenlaw was close to the action at all times, and he was up to any challenge.
This is probably the correct choice. Greenlaw is so often overshadowed by fellow LB Fred Warner, who is atop the conversation for best off-ball linebacker in the NFL. In reality Greenlaw would be the best LB on perhaps half the teams in the league. Maybe more. He should get more shine as a reason the 49ers’ defense is as good as it is.
There are a handful of other players who fit here for the 49ers as well. Let’s look at that group:
WR Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk falls into the same bucket as Greenlaw where he is a very good player overshadowed by other players on his side of the ball. He led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards last season while finishing second in receiving TDs with eight. His production is probably diminished some by all the weapons around him and the revolving door at QB. Aiyuk is a tremendous route runner who is open more often than his stats indicate. He’s good after the catch as well and affects the game at all three levels better than any other receiver on the 49ers’ roster.
FS Tashaun Gipson
49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. has quite the story. Released at final cuts in 2022, brought back and elevated from the practice squad, and all he did in response was to have his best NFL season… at age 32. His combination of athleticism and field sense showed up over and over. pic.twitter.com/aJ3cJ2HwCj
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 13, 2023
Farrar had Gipson in the mix for his post before landing on Greenlaw. The 49ers added Gipson just before their preseason finale last year because they needed a safety to eat some snaps in the last preseason game. He wound up winning the starting free safety job, holding it all year, and leading the team in interceptions.
FB Kyle Juszczyk
Stats aren’t going to be enough of an argument in the case for Juszczyk being underrated. He finished last year with 26 touches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. However, he’s a key cog to what the 49ers do on offense. His versatility matters immensely in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s ability to keep defenses guessing with personnel groupings and the variety of formations they can execute with Juszczyk on the field. He’s ostensibly another tight end who blocks like a traditional fullback, but he also gets out on the move to block and lines up all over the field as a legitimate pass catching threat. San Francisco’s offense will fundamentally change when Juszczyk is no longer with the club.
CB Charvarius Ward
The 49ers front seven gets most of the love in analysis of their defense. It makes sense since DE Nick Bosa is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and LB Fred Warner is an All-Pro. Ward’s arrival last season allowed the 49ers’ defense to take a significant step up though. He had his best year as a pro thanks in part to his aggressive, physical coverage. But he also took a significant step forward as a run defender, receiving the highest marks of his career by far from Pro Football Focus. Even when balls did get completed against Ward, he was regularly there to drop the receiver immediately and limit yards after the catch. It was rare that he outright got beat. Ward was terrific last season and should get more credit for his part in the 49ers’ No. 1-ranked defense.
