The San Francisco 49ers have appeared in the conference championship four times over the past five years and advanced twice. The Niners, like their Super Bowl foe — the Kansas City Chiefs — have built a roster fit for contention. In fact, the franchise has done so well that it landed Adam Peters his own general manager gig in Washington. General manager John Lynch has done an excellent job identifying talent that fits the scheme and culture.
A total of 58.5% of San Francisco’s roster began its professional careers within the organization either as a draft pick or an undrafted free agent. Here is how that breaks down by when they were selected:
First round: 4Second round: 2Third round: 4Fourth round: 2Fifth round: 8Sixth round: 3Seventh round: 5Undrafted free agent: 3
The 49ers are at their best when they have their full collection of skill talent available at their disposal. Wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were top-50 overall selections. Tight end George Kittle was a value in the fifth round. Jauan Jennings has the team’s third most receptions (6) in the postseason. The team found him in the seventh round as well.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, who currently has the fourth-highest MVP odds, according to Caesars Sportsbook, was also a seventh-round choice. San Francisco found starters along their offensive line in three consecutive drafts; none were picked in the first round.
The team leaned on NFC imports Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey to round out the offense. McCaffrey is tied for the second-highest MVP odds. He scored a touchdown in 13 of 18 games this season while accumulating over 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was one of the first free agent signings when Kyle Shanahan was hired in San Francisco. He has fulfilled a valuable role in the offense and was signed to a lucrative deal in 2021. Running backs Elijah Mitchell and…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-super-bowl-how-top-seeded-san-francisco-49ers-built-their-roster-around-pass-rush-explosive-plays/
Author : Josh Edwards
Publish date : 2024-02-04 17:58:25
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