49ers roster ranks strong everywhere except one spot

San Francisco enters 2026 with one of the more well-rounded rosters in the NFL, according to Sharp Football Analysis... and one glaring exception.

The 49ers rank in the top 10 at four of the five positional groups Warren Sharp graded this offseason: No. 6 at receivers and tight ends, No. 7 at offensive line, No. 8 at defensive front seven and No. 9 at quarterback. The fifth, the secondary, checked in at 26th, by far the lowest mark on the team and the clearest weakness on an otherwise loaded roster.

Sharp didn't soften the assessment.

San Francisco returns every starter from last year, when they intercepted just 6 passes all season, fourth-worst in the NFL.

The core trio of Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green and Upton Stout from last year's group is back, along with veteran additions Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones. This could be a problem for the 49ers' defense, although they're now led by defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, a former long-time defensive backs coach himself.

It's a stark contrast to everywhere else on the roster, starting up front. San Francisco's defensive line is positioned to bounce back after injuries limited edge rusher Nick Bosa to three games in 2025. The addition of Osa Odighizuwa is big, as is the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw to team up with Fred Warner over the middle of the field.

The quarterback room tells a similar bounce-back story. Brock Purdy's 2026 outlook helped push San Francisco's signal-callers into the top 10 for the first time.

Brock Purdy played just nine games in the regular season last year, but he looked more like the guy who finished fourth in MVP voting in 2023 than the guy who struggled in 2024. Perhaps just as important as Purdy's bounce-back was the development of Mac Jones as a top backup. Jones went 5-3 in his eight starts and posted a very respectable 62.3 total QBR.

The rest of the roster backs up the trend. San Francisco's offensive line ranked seventh behind Trent Williams, still one of the league's premier left tackles, and an offensive front that was charged with allowing just 16 sacks all of last season. At receiver, the offseason additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk give the 49ers a deeper group alongside Ricky Pearsall, with George Kittle expected back from a torn Achilles early this season.

That leaves the secondary as the outlier on an otherwise complete roster.

Unlike the front seven and quarterback room, which both got infusions of new talent this offseason, San Francisco's defensive backfield returns the same group that finished with the fourth-fewest interceptions in the league last year, a bet on internal development rather than outside reinforcements. With four units ranking inside the top 10, the secondary's standing as the 49ers' lone below-average group makes it the area most likely to be tested early and often in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers roster ranks strong everywhere except one spot