Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Ranking Each Position in 2016 by Strength

By Peter Panacy

November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) is congratulated by tight end Vance McDonald (89) and wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) for scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) is congratulated by tight end Vance McDonald (89) and wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) for scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 10
Next
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on next to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Falcons 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on next to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Falcons 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Quarterback

Best Player: Colin Kaepernick

Worst Player: Colin Kaepernick

X-Factor: Colin Kaepernick

Yes, Colin Kaepernick is the best, worst and biggest X-factor-like player at quarterback for the 49ers.

On a positive note, the Niners have two starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster — the other being Blaine Gabbert. On a negative note, neither QB seems to be the perfect-fit option for head coach Chip Kelly and San Francisco’s offense.

Just take a look at what Niner Noise’s Rich Madrid concluded about the quarterback situation not long ago.

True, Kelly has a knack for getting the most out of quarterbacks. He helped turn former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles into something useful and also helped turn current Eagles QB Sam Bradford’s career around after forgettable years with the St. Louis Rams.

That’s fine and all, and a quarterback competition between Kaepernick and Gabbert might actually do both of them some good, even if Kap is dealing with post-surgery concerns.

We’ll see.

Still, it doesn’t appear as if the Niners have a clear-cut answer under center. At least not yet.

The 49ers, at this most-critical position, may not have an answer anytime soon either. To be fair, San Francisco doesn’t exactly need a choice right away. The team has some time to make this determination.

More from Niner Noise

If this issue was at any other position, we likely wouldn’t have too much to worry about. But given the importance of quarterbacking at the pro level, the Niners want to find an answer on which they can bank their hopes in coming seasons.

That has yet to be found.

Tier 4

Next: Projecting the 49ers 2016 53-Man Roster

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.