It’s hard to quantify which players are overrated and underrated. The 49ers went to the Super Bowl last season, and they’re among the favorites to go back this year. There aren’t many people underrating the team as a whole.
Still, there are some individuals who are among the team’s best players who aren’t discussed alongside Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman and George Kittle.
This is less about what 49ers fans think, and more about the national conversation that takes place around the 49ers. Here’s who doesn’t get talked about enough alongside the team’s other top players.
FS Jimmie Ward
Injuries and position changes have overshadowed just how effective Ward is. The fact the 49ers re-signed him in 2019 after he failed to play more than 11 games in four of his first five seasons speaks volumes about how the team feels about him as a player. He earned a three-year deal this offseason after putting together a very strong season at his natural free safety position. He finished the season as San Francisco’s fourth highest-graded defender per Pro Football Focus, and the sixth highest-graded safety. He’s among the best players at his position in the league, and he was a key cog in the 49ers’ No. 1 pass defense a season ago.