Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently went through each team and decided which players on their roster were worth a first-round pick, and his answer for the San Francisco 49ers may surprise and even disappoint some fans. Nick Bosa was still viewed as worth two first-round picks, and Brock Purdy was worth more than one first-round pick. Dominick Puni and Mykel Williams were given first-round value due to their age and talent level, but those were the only players listed.

Some notable names excluded are Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, and Fred Warner. Even Brandon Aiyuk, Deommodore Lenoir, and Ricky Pearsall have cases to be made.

Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs a play during the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

For McCaffrey, Barnewell cited the injury, age, and the capital Carolina got for him. Kittle and Williams were considered too old to be worth a first-round pick. Aiyuk has his contract and ACL that would make it hard for him to be traded right now, and while Pearsall was once a first-round pick, his rookie season makes it easy to count him out.

Here is what Barnwell said on Warner:

 I went back and forth on LB Fred Warner, who is still a special talent and a true difference-maker in coverage at the second level. I can’t argue at all with the talent, but he’s 28, just signed a deal for north of $20 million per year and plays a position the league doesn’t typically trade first-round picks to acquire. A year ago, he would have been on the first-round side of the equation. Now, if the 49ers hadn’t signed him to an extension, I think a second-rounder would be a more likely return.

– Bill Barnwell

This is the toughest argument to get behind, and even saying last year he would have been on the list admits that on a skill-level, Warner would have made it.

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Barnwell makes good points on a lot of players, but may have been trying to get too cute with the age of Kittle and positional value, and the contract of Warner. Warner has been an All-Pro the past three seasons and has hardly any injury concerns to think of. Some tight ends have had impacts into their mid-30s, and Kittle transcends an offense enough that desperate teams would probably give one.

Barnwell did not discuss Lenoir at all, but a 25-year-old who is under team control and can play both outside and inside may fetch more than the article suggests.