San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who could be first-team All-Pros in 2020

The 49ers were well-represented at the Pro Bowl last season but only had one first-team All-Pro, George Kittle. Who could be candidates in 2020?

The San Francisco 49ers had four players named to the Pro Bowl after the 2019 season, EDGE Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerback Richard Sherman. But only Sherman, Kittle and now-Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner were named All-Pros, while Kittle was the sole first-team All-Pro, thanks to the Associated Press.

Part of this could be due to the team seemingly coming out of nowhere last season, rising from a 4-12 record all the way to a dominant 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It helps to have star power, and plenty of Niners players earned that nod over the course of 2019, establishing themselves as household names among the NFL community.

And as long as head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad backs up last year’s campaign with yet another excellent year in 2020, one might bank on San Francisco being represented well enough during the Pro Bowl again.

But what about those first-team All-Pro nods? This is the proverbial “cream of the cream” atop NFL ranks, and there are typically only one or two players named at each position for the first-team ranks.

Not all of these 49ers players will receive this accolade once 2020 is finished. Yet these five are probably the best candidates to do so.

No. 5: 49ers Tight End George Kittle

The first player on this list is the obvious choice, Kittle.

Despite missing two games last season due to injury last year, Kittle’s 1,053 receiving yards still ranked third best among all tight ends in 2019, and he could have had more than his five touchdowns recorded if an additional three weren’t called back because of penalties.

Yet it’s what Kittle does elsewhere that makes him the top nod for a first-team All-Pro as the league’s best at his position. Kittle’s efforts as a blocker and unique prowess after making the catch cement him as one of the NFL’s best offensive weapons, not just the best tight end.

After all, he was named the No. 7 overall player in the league on the NFL 100 list entering 2020.

Kittle’s current contract-extension negotiations could also drive plenty of motivation for him to be even better this upcoming season, too. A pending free agent next season, Kittle is poised to demolish the market for tight ends, potentially receiving anywhere up to $17 million annually.

But as far as star power goes, few possess as much as Kittle does, making him an easy choice to retain his hold as a first-team All-Pro this upcoming season over the likes of other candidates like the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.