Gennaro Filice of NFL.com released his second-straight NFL triplets rankings, which the piece denotes as a quarterback/running back/pass catcher (either receiver or tight end) trio for each team.
Filice says that he ranked teams based on the group that "will have the biggest impact on the 2025 season," something he even admits is a bit silly based on how much projection is requires.
The lower end of the rankings includes the teams you'd expect: the Cleveland Browns (Joe Flacco, Dylan Simpson, Jerry Jeudy) are dead last, with the New Orleans Saints (featuring a quarterback they didn't name as the starter), Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, and PIttsburgh Steelers(!) rounding out the bottom five.
Of note for fans of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks (Sam Darnold, Kenneth Walker, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba) are 24th overall, while the Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray, James Connor, and Trey McBride) are 19th, with the Los Angeles Rams (Matt Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua) just cracking the top-10 in ninth place.
And then come the Niners, who are in fifth place with Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle as their triplet group. Filice says that he "like[s] Brock Purdy" and "love[s] George Kittle," but has reservations about CMC.
The Editor at Large for NFL.com went on to say this about the running back:
""The raw talent is undeniable, but availability is NOT his best ability. The former top-10 pick actually played in every single game during his first three pro campaigns, culminating in his 1,000/1,000 season in 2019. But in the first five years of this decade, McCaffrey has missed double-digit games three times, with Achilles tendinitis and a PCL sprain costing him 13 contests in 2024. Coincidentally, while San Francisco’s roster has been ravaged by injuries this August, CMC’s apparently operating with a clean bill of health. Earlier this month, Kyle Shanahan said, “He's doing awesome. He's as fast as he's been, as quick, as strong. He's Christian McCaffrey.” Love the optimism, but given the 29-year-old back’s advancing age and injury history, I have to hedge a bit in this ranking.""Gennaro Filice, NFL.com
This all seems rather harsh, but it isn't unfair, and it isn't something that 49ers fans aren't aware of, considering how injury-riddled McCaffrey's 2024 season was, if you even care to call it a season at all.
It does, however, say something about how highly Filice thinks of Purdy and Kittle, that even though he is unsure of McCaffrey's health, he still ranked the trio in the top five in the league, just behind the Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow, Chase Brown, Ja'Marr Chase), Philadelphia Eagles (Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown), Detroit Lions (Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St.Brown), and Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers).
If the Niners are a top-five offense in the league, I doubt any fans will be even a little bit upset.