49ers power rankings: Best 10 players with 4 weeks remaining in 2021

The 49ers are three-quarters of the way through the 2021 season, and Niner Noise lists the 10 best players so far in NFL power rankings style.

A quarter of the way through the 2021 season… heck, even halfway through it, the San Francisco 49ers certainly weren’t getting the best kind of production from their top players.

The team was 3-5 after Week 9, had previously suffered a four-game losing streak and was forced to deal with the reality of a long offseason with yet another missed chance to make a dent in the playoffs.

Fortunately, things turned around after that point.

Following the Niners’ Week 14 overtime road win against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad now sits at 7-6 and has won four of its last five games. Now sitting in the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture, San Francisco now has an excellent shot at getting into the postseason.

And it’s no coincidence the most recent push has stemmed largely from the 49ers’ best players playing at their very best during this recent stretch.

There are only four games left in the regular season, yet the Niners have seen some dramatic turnarounds from their top talent since the halfway point of the year not that long ago, and it’s worth taking a look at which players should fall into that top-10 category.

So, let’s take a look at San Francisco’s top-10 players, NFL power rankings style and see who has made the biggest impacts this season and what it all means with the 49ers’ final stretch heading towards the playoffs.

49ers power rankings: Player Nos. 10-6

Here’s a revelation for you: Good teams are comprised of good players, and those good teams tend to win when their good players are playing like good players.

The 49ers were underachieving in this matter earlier this season, but that’s no longer been the case as of late. More importantly, the Niners have received some quality contributions from players you wouldn’t necessarily expect to crack this kind of NFL power rankings list.

He’s certainly flown under the radar this season, but left guard Laken Tomlinson has been downright impressive, not having yet allowed a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

A free agent in 2022, San Francisco has a tough decision whether or not it wants to open up the pocketbooks to re-sign the veteran who has yet to miss a start with the team since early in 2017.

Injuries have kept rookie running back Elijah Mitchell from truly making a dent this season, which will keep him out of Pro Bowl consideration.

Still, setting a franchise record for a rookie with four 100-yard rushing games is impressive, and the 49ers offense is far more dynamic with him in the fray than without.

The Niners have been without No. 2 linebacker Dre Greenlaw for much of the year, but Azeez Al-Shaair has more than made up for it with some excellent play.

The undrafted free agent from 2019 has turned into one of the NFL’s best unsung players this season, and he should be starting even after Greenlaw returns fully healthy.

When quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo plays well, San Francisco almost always wins. When he doesn’t, his team usually loses.

Case in point, the 49ers are a perfect 6-0 this season when Garoppolo doesn’t toss an interception.

Quite the contrast to the 1-5 record the team has when Jimmy G tosses a pick.

He might be having a bit of a down season, especially in comparison to his All-Pro campaign from a year ago.

Still, linebacker Fred Warner is such a vital part of the Niners defense and rarely makes the kind of mistakes lesser linebackers can frequently make. Even if he’s not making the same types of splash plays seen in 2020, Warner still provides that competitive presence San Francisco’s defense so desperately needs.

49ers power rankings: Player Nos. 5 and 4

It’s hard to keep these two players out of the top three spots. But when you look at who finishes up in those top NFL power rankings by player and the reasons why, it’ll make more sense.

More importantly, the 49ers have been receiving some excellent contributions from these two players, too, helping spark the recent hot streak.

Safety Jimmie Ward might not tally up the lofty interception totals other top-end safeties tend to get, although he did close out his interception-less streak dating back to 2016 by recording two in a single game against the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season.

That’s not all of Ward’s game, though, and his team nickname of “The Eraser” surely holds true, as he’s frequently helped cover up the many deficiencies the team has had elsewhere within the secondary.

As a testament to this, the Niners pass defense still ranks sixth best in the enter NFL after 14 weeks, allowing just 2,772 yards.

And Ward’s 80.2 overall Pro Football Focus game ranks second among all San Francisco defenders.

The only other defensive player with a higher PFF grade than Ward is EDGE Nick Bosa, who surely has to be in the running for the league’s Comeback Player of the Year after tearing his ACL last season.

If not Defensive Player of the Year.

Bosa now has 14 sacks after recording two more against the Bengals in the Week 14 win, and his 18 tackles for a loss also ranks the most out of all NFL players entering Week 15, too.

What’s even more special about Bosa’s efforts this year is the fact San Francisco hasn’t received much in the pass-rush department besides him. Reserve EDGE Arden Key is second on the team in sacks, and he has only four.

In a sense, Bosa is wholly carrying the 49ers pass rush this season, and it’s a pretty safe bet to say they’d have a sub-.500 record in 2021 to date if Bosa was out of the picture.

49ers power rankings: Player No. 3 — Trent Williams

It’s not always common to list offensive linemen into the top-three NFL power rankings list for any team, partially because their impact often goes unnoticed by only the most ardent students of the game. And others typically look at the traditional stats, too, meaning the hard-to-evaluate O-line stats often get buried.

Except the entire NFL knows left tackle Trent Williams is one of the best in the entire league at what he does.

Read More: Under-the-radar Niners who could make or break a Super Bowl run

Just one sack allowed, as well as only a handful of quarterback pressures. Additionally, Williams’ mauling efforts continue to showcase him as a force in the run game, too.

According to Pro Football Focus, he’s the absolute best, too. That’s what a 99.0 overall offensive grade means, not just the highest among tackles but also out of all offensive linemen, too. Additionally, Williams is strongly in the running for PFF’s Dwight Stephenson Award, which is given to the top-graded qualifying player for the year.

One which was awarded to the next player on this list two years ago.

49ers power rankings: Player No. 2 — George Kittle

Over the last two weeks, tight end George Kittle has easily been the Niners’ best overall player. And according to NFL communications, revealed by the team itself, Kittle is the first tight end in the modern football era to record back-to-back 150-yard, one-touchdown games.

After something of a slow start, impacted by a calf injury that forced him onto injured reserve for three weeks, Kittle has returned to being a focal point for San Francisco’s offense once again.

In Week 13’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Kittle nevertheless had 181 yards and two touchdowns before getting 151 yards and a score in Week 14.

To date, Kittle is now up to 757 yards and has a career-best six touchdowns this season, and it’s probably a safe bet to assume he’ll crest 1,000 receiving yards for the third time in his career.

And we didn’t even mention Kittle’s all-around efforts that often don’t get noticed by the casual fan, such as blocking or serving as a decoy.

49ers power rankings: Player No. 1 — Deebo Samuel

George Kittle might be the heartbeat of the 49ers offense, but its engine is wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Or you could say the transmission because he has so many gears and can attack in so many different ways.

It’s hard to even fully acknowledge what position Samuel plays anymore. Over his last three games, the third-year pro has registered just three receptions for 49 yards, probably meaning he’s not going to secure the NFL crown for most receiving yards this season, a challenge for which he was in the running earlier this year.

But, when you factor in Samuel’s all-purpose usage and the total yards from scrimmage, it’s an entirely different story.

To no one’s surprise, Samuel’s 1,268 net yards and 11 touchdowns both lead the Niners offense, and his total yards from scrimmage place him fifth in the entire league in that category, too.

Unlike Kittle, who got off to a bit of a sluggish start offensively, Samuel has been a regular game-changing impact player in each contest this season, and one can safely make the argument San Francisco would be well below the .500 mark if Samuel wasn’t performing anywhere close to this level.