Power ranking 49ers top 10 players halfway through 2019 season

The San Francisco 49ers are a perfect 8-0 to start the 2019 season, and Niner Noise goes through the roster and power ranks the top 10 players over the first half of the year.

Entering 2019, an prevailing thought was the San Francisco 49ers were at least two or three key players away from being a serious playoff contender. At best, they had an outside shot, perhaps en route to finishing 8-8 by the time the regular season came to a close.

Mathematically, that’s still possible. But after a perfect 8-0 start to the season, the Niners are doing far more than just negating the previous offseason predictions and concerns.

There is no shortage of reasons why San Francisco has remained perfect over the first half of 2019. For the most part, the 49ers have boasted one of the league’s best defenses, particularly against the pass. Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s rushing attack remains one of the tops in the NFL, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had his best game in a Niners uniform, tossing a career-high four touchdowns in the team’s Week 9 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh have also called excellent plays, designing some solid game plans and schemes over these first eight games.

But the solid play ultimately comes down to the players themselves. Fortunately, the 49ers haven’t hurt for playmakers this season.

There are plenty from which to choose. So, with the Niners looking ahead to the second half of 2019, Niner Noise power ranks the team’s 10 best players over the first nine weeks of the season.

Kicking off this list with a player many thought would provide little, if any impact to San Francisco’s outstanding defense, safety Jimmie Ward.