Pro Football Network's NFL playoff predictor didn't exactly cast the 49ers in a positive light following the 2025 draft.
The San Francisco 49ers could face a tough challenge making the playoffs this season following a mass exodus of talent to kick off the 2025 offseason.
And that's precisely what Pro Football Network's playoff prediction machine is predicting in the wake of the 2025 NFL Draft.
True, the Niners underwent a challenging offseason and said goodbye to cornerstone players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and others. Even if San Francisco manages to get the most out of its 11 selections stemming from the draft, asking a large crop of rookies to immediately play at a playoff-caliber level is a tall order.
Coming off a 6-11 campaign in which the 49ers defense was a massive liability, though, it's nevertheless hard to envision things being much worse.
But, going off PFN's prediction efforts, the Niners will again be a disappointment in 2025.
PFN predictions Cardinals win NFC West, 49ers miss playoffs entirely
PFN's prediction machine had some surprising results, one of which suggested the rival Arizona Cardinals would pull off a shocking win of the NFC West despite going 8-9 last season with a third-place finish.
Nevertheless, the prediction odds for winning the division are 43.3 percent for the red birds.
The Niners, meanwhile, appear to be a last-place team yet again, as PFN predicts the Seattle Seahawks (12.7 percent) earn a Wild Card berth while the Los Angeles Rams just barely miss out.
Granted, PFN admitted the following with regard to the entirety of the NFC West that bears mentioning:
"This is the one division in the NFL that has, in my eyes, four legitimate threats to finish at the top. The Cardinals benefit from a third-place schedule, and that should allow them to avoid the murderers' row that they opened 2024 with (their September opponents last season: Bills, Rams, Lions, and Commanders)."
Understandable, yes. But San Francisco also plays a last-place schedule, which benefits head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad in a significant way.
This season marks the 10th anniversary of the last time Arizona won the division, so perhaps PFN is merely acknowledging the Cardinals are due.
That might be the only way to explain it.