[jwplayer 5fsA2yLs-ThvAeFxT]
Four 49ers were named in ESPN’s predicted top 100 players for the 2020 NFL season. Jimmy Garoppolo was not among them. Neither were Deebo Samuel or Fred Warner. They could certainly be there next season. Further analysis of the list from ESPN pointed to a pair of different 49ers who didn’t make this year’s edition of the top 100 but could be there next year.
A group of analysts were asked to pick a lock for the 2021 top 100, and Mina Kimes picked 49ers left tackle Trent Williams.
“San Francisco’s signing of Williams was probably one of the most underrated moves of the NFL offseason,” Kimes wrote. “How often do you replace your elite left tackle with … another elite left tackle? I expect Williams to thrive as a key cog in a very good offensive line and to remind everyone that he’s still one of the best pass protectors in the NFL.”
The 49ers acquired Williams from Washington on Day 3 of this year’s draft in response to long-time left tackle Joe Staley informing the club of his retirement. Getting a seven-time Pro Bowler for a fifth-round pick this year and a third-round pick next year is already a steal on the surface. It’ll be an even greater steal if he’s still one of the best players in the NFL at a premium position.
Williams missed all of last year after a holdout and a cancerous growth on his head pushed him out for the entire season. Rust hasn’t been much of a factor in camp though. Reports out of camp are that Williams looks like his old self while matched up against Nick Bosa. If he’s that good in the regular season – he’s a lock to make the top 100 and finish well inside the top 50.
Another question the panel of analysts were asked to ponder was which 2020 NFL draft pick would be on next year’s top 100 list. Matt Bowen chose 49ers first-round pick Javon Kinlaw.
“Chase Young should be mentioned here. Joe Burrow, too. But I want to focus on Kinlaw because of how the 49ers scheme on the defensive line to create pressure,” Bowen wrote. “With multiple fronts and alignments, San Francisco can utilize interior stunts to create open rush lanes and favorable one-on-one matchups. That caters to Kinlaw’s raw play-strength and athleticism, which will put the rookie in a position to generate disruptive plays.”
A Kinlaw rookie campaign that lands him among the NFL’s 100 best players for next year probably means the 49ers are back in the Super Bowl. Early returns on the No. 14 overall pick have been relatively lukewarm. He’s struggled to consistently get free as a pass rusher in camp, leaving some who attended camp to believe he’ll only be a two-down player early in his career.
It’s all but impossible to imagine Kinlaw making a top-100 list if he is relegated to run-stopping duties. However, if Bowen is on the mark and San Francisco’s scheme frees up Kinlaw to dominate the way he did in college, he could wind up having a pretty big season on a stout 49ers defensive line. Getting into the top 100 would mean racking up big-time stats though. Two or three sacks probably doesn’t get it done, but if Kinlaw gets upwards of seven, it’s hard to believe the 49ers aren’t dominant again with Kinlaw getting a lot of credit for it.
[vertical-gallery id=660384]