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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 5 players who make the 2019 Pro Bowl

By Peter Panacy

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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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Well, if Jimmy Garoppolo does nothing but win, it’s going to be impossible to keep him off the 2019 Pro Bowl roster, right?

OK, so Garoppolo’s five-game win streak in San Francisco will come to an end this season. But that’s not the point. What matters is how he’s able to orchestrate the offense.

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We can get an idea how good he was at doing so by looking at the splits last season. Without Garoppolo under center, the 49ers scored on just 29 percent of their offensive drives, which would have ranked eighth worst over the entire year (h/t Niner Noise’s Chris Wilson). With Garoppolo, the Niners scored on 62 percent of their offensive drives. That would have, far and away, been the best in the league if carried out over all 16 games.

Sure, that’s a small sample size. And San Francisco is no longer flying under the radar. Teams will have much stronger game plans in place when facing Garoppolo and Co.

But keep in mind Garoppolo was operating on an abbreviated playbook from Kyle Shanahan. And Shanahan’s offense is one of the most complex in the NFL.

Going back to our comparison to Shanahan’s work in Atlanta, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had an 89.0 percent passer rating his first year with Shanahan. A year later, Ryan led the league with a 117.1 passer rating en route to a Pro Bowl nod, a first-team All-Pro selection and receiving NFL MVP honors.

Garoppolo’s first five games under Shanahan resulted in a 96.2 passer rating. Not saying Jimmy G is due for MVP accolades this season. But it’s not hard to see the kind of trajectory he could take this season.

Next: Predicting 49ers' Week 1 depth chart, roster in 2018

And that would be Pro Bowl worthy for sure.