Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Best and Worst Players at Each Position Entering 2017

By Peter Panacy

Oct 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) warms up with quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) warms up with quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (4) celebrates after scoring his 400th field goal against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the San Francisco 49ers 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (4) celebrates after scoring his 400th field goal against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the San Francisco 49ers 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Special Teams

Best Player: K Phil Dawson

Worst Player: P Bradley Pinion

We can get into coverage and returns here if we wanted, and the Niners aren’t particularly good there either. But let’s stick to the basics.

One could make the argument veteran kicker Phil Dawson was the team’s offensive MVP last season. And that’s saying something, both good and bad. At 41 years old, Dawson isn’t sure yet if he’ll retire this offseason. If not, he’ll be a free agent. Who knows if the 49ers elect to re-sign him.

Dawson missed just one of his 34 extra-point attempts last year. And he converted on 85.7 of his field-goal attempts. Not bad at all, considering his age.

On the other hand, it’s not entirely fair to lump third-year pro Bradley Pinion into the “worst” category. But his 44-yards-per-attempt average ranked 25th in the NFL. The guy he replaced, Andy Lee, ranked second in the league at 49.1 yards per attempt.

Field position has a lot to do with that, but it’s pretty evident San Francisco downgraded here.