Finding underrated players on a team’s roster isn’t typically hard. National coverage tends to take a 30,000-foot view of the entire league that leaves stones understandably unturned.
Ask any 49ers fan who the team’s most underrated player is and there are a slew of answers that would make sense. Free safety Jimmie Ward is a good player who doesn’t get a ton of national shine. Neither does cornerback Emmanuel Moseley nor wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr found a fascinating deeper cut though in his exploration of each NFC team’s most underrated player.
The name he pulled from San Francisco’s roster? Backup tight end Charlie Woerner. It’s a perplexing choice at first, but his explanation and a dive into the numbers makes it hard to refute:
Woerner wasn’t heavily utilized last year, coming in on about a quarter of the 49ers’ snaps and 75% of their special-teams snaps. But when he was in, he flashed his ability to block the scheme exceptionally well, which, for a franchise that needs movable pieces in the backfield to dictate certain looks, is essential. Someone like Woerner proves his value when Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk don’t have to put as much wear and tear on their own bodies and can be freed up as more natural matchup-creating pass catchers. Go back and rewatch his game against the Bears, in which he was used on 80% of the team’s snaps, and you’ll find an adept blocker who was a focal point on certain wide runs. On passing plays that he was on the field for, San Francisco’s passing offense was 1.1 yards better per play.
It’s taken Woerner some time to come into his own as a blocker after the 49ers picked him out of Georgia in Round 6 of the 2020 draft. His first year wasn’t exceptional, but he got better as last year went on and he eventually overtook Ross Dwelley for the TE2 job.
His athleticism hasn’t shown up in the passing game which is part of the reason he’s considered underrated. Woerner has just eight catches for 88 yards on 10 targets in 31 games. However, his ability to get wide and execute combo blocks with Juszczyk is key to the 49ers’ successful rushing attack.
He’s the in-line tight end over the left tackle on the play below:
Man, Charlie Woerner doing work on this play. https://t.co/ZtFoLXQ5sJ
— Kyle Madson (@KyleAMadson) November 23, 2021
The eye test tracks with Woerner’s improvement last season, and his uptick in playing time illustrated that as well. The numbers also point to him ranking as one of the league’s most effective blocking TEs.
Analytics site Pro Football Focus had Woerner last season ranked No. 13 in overall grade among TEs with at least 200 offensive snaps. He was No. 7 in run blocking and No. 14 as a pass blocker. His overall grade jumped 15 points from Year 1 to Year 2, and his run blocking grade skyrocketed by 25.8 points. Making that leap between his first and second seasons bodes well for Woerner’s long-term future.
It would behoove the 49ers to find another reliable receiving option in their tight end room because of what it could unlock in their passing attack. Woerner has turned himself into a key cog in the offense though over the last two years, and San Francisco is surely fine with him being underrated as long as he keeps growing into that expanded role.
