Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Ranking Each Position by Strength Entering 2016

By Trevor Irvine

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) kicks the game-winning field goal during overtime against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) kicks the game-winning field goal during overtime against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco 49ers went from having one of the best rosters in the NFL to one of the weakest. Though a lot of good players are still on the team, the overall depth at certain positions is no longer the same. Niner Noise takes a look at each position and ranks them from weakest to best entering the 2016 season.

Ah, the glory days of 2011-13 seem so long ago when you think about it today. The San Francisco 49ers had stalwarts at nearly every position, and it was simply a given the team would have multiple pro-bowlers.

However, in today’s NFL, it is hard to keep your team intact. Free agency and retirements are the two biggest culprits, and the 49ers are no exception. A who’s who of players has dwindled down to just a handful of real stars. The rest of the squad is made up of good players, underachieving players and rookies.

The 49ers used to dominate the line of scrimmage. They prided themselves on running the football and stopping the run. This was not achieved last season as the loss of talent led directly to the opposite of these things.

The 49ers are a team in transition. They have quickly gone from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest. They have a lot of players around the two to four year experience level. It is these men who need to take the next step in 2016.

Quarterbacks are not included in this list because it will be a competition between two players only, not a full group.

Human nature will appear in some cases because, well, we all have certain players and positions that we find better than others.

Please feel free to compile your list before starting through our rundown of position strength. How would your strength list shape up?

Enjoy our rankings of the weakest to strongest positions of the San Francisco 49ers!

Next: Special Teams