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San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the top 25 players for 2018

By Chris Wilson

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 20: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after he sacked Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 20: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after he sacked Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass against Blake Countess #24 of the Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

1. QB Jimmy Garoppolo

In 2017, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo changed the San Francisco 49ers’ franchise.

Garoppolo was handed the reigns of a hopeless one-win team and promptly rattled off five straight victories, including three straight wins over playoff-bound teams. Garoppolo put points on the scoreboard, provided leadership on and off the field and gave the 49ers’ fan base exactly what it needed — hope for the future.

After the season, the San Francisco 49ers gave Garoppolo a five-year contract that briefly made the quarterback the highest-paid player in the NFL.

While the 2017 Niners weren’t as bad as their pre-Garoppolo record suggests, a future that included the playoffs was a distant fantasy for the team last November. But over the last five weeks of the season, Garoppolo transformed the 49ers from a team competing for 2018’s top overall draft pick into a potential 2018 playoff contender.

Next: NFL: Predicting each division winner for 2018

Led by the team’s most important player for 2018 — quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo — each of these 25 players will play essential roles in the San Francisco 49ers’ success this season.