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San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 5 best player additions for 2018

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 08: Running back Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers stops short of the endzone on a 51-yard run against Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks to run down the clock late in the fourth quarter on December 8, 2013 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The play set up the winning field goal as the 49ers won 19-17. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 08: Running back Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers stops short of the endzone on a 51-yard run against Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks to run down the clock late in the fourth quarter on December 8, 2013 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The play set up the winning field goal as the 49ers won 19-17. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 27: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings avoids a tackle by Kendrick Bourne #6 of the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 27: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings avoids a tackle by Kendrick Bourne #6 of the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise combs through both free agency and the NFL Draft to break down the San Francisco 49ers’ five best player additions this offseason before 2018 kicks off.

The 2018 offseason didn’t quite see the San Francisco 49ers as active as they were a year ago. Instead, general manager John Lynch’s actions were more about tweaking the roster and finding the right talent rather than making wholesale changes.

Still, the Niners’ moves this offseason were notable. Three big free-agent names — center Weston Richburg, running back Jerick McKinnon and cornerback Richard Sherman — change the makeup of San Francisco’s roster in a big way.

And with the names the 49ers brought aboard via the 2018 NFL Draft, it’s safe to say Lynch put together a solid effort making as many upgrades as possible where needed.

It’s common to separate these two means of addition into different categories (best/worst draft picks versus best/worst free-agent pickups). For the purposes of this evaluation, it’s worth meshing both free agency and the NFL Draft into one category.

As far as breaking down the five best additions the Niners made in 2018, this will be the evaluation criteria:

  • Team need
  • Projected role
  • Traditional stats
  • Analytical stats
  • Potential Impact

Each category will be assigned a scale between 1 (lowest) through 5 (highest). These will be averaged out, and the top five making the cut will be as follows.

Starting off with No. 5 on the list, EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu.