49ers roster: 3 players who aren’t getting enough respect in 2021

While it’s easy to focus on star 49ers players entering 2021, these three unsung players should be receiving more recognition, too.

The bulk of storylines about the San Francisco 49ers this upcoming season are going to center around quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and whether or not rookie signal-caller Trey Lance will be able to overtake him.

To a slightly lesser extent, fans and the media are going to pay attention to All-Pro tight end George Kittle, 2020 injury-returnee EDGE Nick Bosa and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. It’s pretty easy to chat up those players on a regular basis no matter what they’re doing.

There are going to be stories about the wins and losses, of course. Maybe some discussion about other rookies. Same about head coach Kyle Shanahan and first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

But as far as individual players go, there are always going to be those quality role players who just never seem to command anywhere near the attention they deserve.

These unsung heroes of the team can and should play a vital role in determining whether or not the Niners get back into the playoffs this season and just how far they go. Yet while the focus will still remain on players like Garoppolo, Lance and Kittle, a number of those lesser-discussed role players won’t be getting the credit they deserve.

Their efforts might be a bit under the radar. But these three San Francisco players deserve a lot more respect than what they’ve received or what they will likely wind up getting over the course of the upcoming season.