Ranking the 49ers' Top 5 Weakest Positions Ahead of Camp

With training camp kicking off in a couple of weeks, it makes for the perfect time to assess the San Francisco 49ers roster. 

Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, so for this article, I’ll be ranking the 49ers' top 5 weakest positions ahead of training camp. These are the positions that are the likeliest to prove detrimental to the 49ers’ success in 2025. 

Safety 

Without question, the weakest position on the 49ers is safety. They do not have a single constant going into the 2025 season. Malik Mustapha, who had a solid 2024 campaign, is entering 2025 coming off an ACL injury. Then, there is Ji’Ayir Brown, who was a complete liability last year and is also recovering from ankle surgery.

Those two will probably be ready by Week 1 of the regular season, but there will be questions and concerns surrounding them. If neither of them can perform well in 2025, the 49ers are in major trouble. Beyond those two players, the 49ers don’t have anyone noteworthy. They’re going to be banking on one player to surprise them and be a key player like how Mustapha did last year.

Linebacker

Maybe I’m just blind or completely delusional, but I have hardly read or seen any pundit or anyone bring up on social media about how putrid the linebacker position is for the 49ers. I get it, Fred Warner is there so that masks a lot of the ugliness that is at the position. However, outside of Warner, there is no one at the position.

Sure, they have Dee Winters. He was promising last year, but it doesn’t seem like Robert Saleh is sold on him, so the jury is out on him. There is rookie Nick Martin, who the 49ers drafted at Saleh’s behest, but he isn’t some polished player who is going to light it up on the field immediately. Unfortunately, it seems the 49ers are banking on that to happen, which is a risk.

Outside of Winters and Martin, I’m not sure who else is going to be that impact linebacker. The bright side is that they just need one guy to stand out and be solid enough. However, it seems like a long shot that they will get one player to be that, or at least it’s going to take adequate time for one player to stand out.

Defensive line

The third weakest position on the 49ers is the defensive line. Don’t just take my word for it. Look at how they operated in the NFL draft. Their first three picks were defensive linemen, so they knew the position was weak and had to get younger. While I commend the 49ers for embracing a new regime, it does come with a massive risk.

Once again, the 49ers are banking on at least one or two defensive linemen to be a stud. First-round pick Mykel Williams has to be that. If he’s not, the 49ers are in major trouble. Let’s assume Williams pans out, the 49ers are still in a rough spot with the defensive line. They’re going to need Alfred Collins and or C.J. West to be an impactful player.

Not to mention, they are going to have to look like geniuses for acquiring Bryce Huff. The 49ers have already drawn similarities between Huff to former pass rusher Dee Ford. Ultimately, this position is weak because there are so many variables and so many of them need to turn out to be key players. The odds are against the 49ers, but it does generate a lot of excitement as it’s something I look forward to.

Cornerback

Last but not least is the cornerback position. As it’s been the common theme with other positions, cornerback only has one constant, which is Deommodore Lenoir. Sure, Renardo Green is the other corner, and he had a solid 2024 season, but it’s not a guarantee that he’s going to ascend this year. If he does, it'll be huge and make cornerback probably the best position on the 49ers defense.

Still, that only puts the 49ers with two good corners, which a lot of defenses in the NFL don’t even have two good corners. It is why this is the least worrisome position on the defense, despite it still being relatively weak. The main reason this position is weak is that if Green doesn’t pan out in 2025, who’s gonna be there to step up? Answering that is extremely difficult, so once again, the four hours will be spent looking at someone to surprise them.

Offensive line

Finally, a position that is not on the defense. I’m sure at least some of you are reading this and wondering why the offensive line position isn’t in the top three of being considered weak. Well, it’s simple. The offensive line is not as terrible as the pundits and fans make it out to be. It’s not a great or even that good position group, but it’s also not a terrible, atrocious one.

They are perfectly in the middle of the pack. It’s just that so many critics of the 49ers' offensive line attribute the pressures that Brock Purdy received last year to them. The reality is that half of the pressures are the offensive line's fault, while the other half is Purdy's fault for holding onto the ball too long. If anything, it was the run-blocking issues that made the offensive line weak.

Aside from average pass protection and inconsistent run blocking, the offensive line has no depth. If Trent Williams misses time, which is likely, there is no adequate backup anymore. The same goes for anywhere else and the offensive line. But William’s lack of an adequate substitute is the most concerning. The moment the injuries start to pile up there, the 49ers' offense will unravel.