Grading each 49ers position group after final cuts

We finally have at least some version of the San Francisco 49ers’ roster for the 2025 season.

Their initial 53 players were announced shortly after Tuesday’s 1:00pm deadline. It’s an initial list because there could be a handful of roster moves coming once the team gets a lay of the land on who is still available after they’ve built out their practice squad and moved injured players to IR to open up roster spots.

Overall, though, we have a decent grasp on what the 49ers’ roster will look like entering their Week 1 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. With that in mind, we took the red pen to the roster and issued grades for each position group:

Quarterback

Mac Jones
Brock Purdy

There are some strides Purdy still has to make as a franchise signal caller, but he’s still trending up as he enters Year 4 of his NFL career. Jones is a quality backup who can win a couple games for San Francisco if Purdy isn’t available.

Grade: B+

Running back

Isaac Guerendo
Jordan James
Christian McCaffrey
Brian Robinson Jr.

If McCaffrey and Co. are healthy this year there may not be a better collection of RBs in the NFL.

Grade: A

Fullback

Kyle Juszczyk

Juszczyk is still the best player at his position in the NFL even if he’s taken a step back entering his mid-30s.

Grade: A

Wide receiver

Jacob Cowing
Jauan Jennings
Skyy Moore
Ricky Pearsall
Jordan Watkins

It’ll be interesting to see how this group ultimately shakes out. Jennings, Cowing and Watkins are hurt and Brandon Aiyuk is still lingering on the PUP list. A fully healthy 49ers WR corps would be excellent. This group still carries a ton of question marks even if that injured Jennings-Cowing-Watkins trio was healthy.

Grade: C

Tight end

George Kittle
Luke Farrell
Jake Tonges

Kittle raises the ceiling of the 49ers’ tight end group quite a bit. Farrell could be key in unlocking some of Kittle’s usage in the passing game last year that was soaked up by his need to stay in and pass block. Ideally there’d be another effective pass catcher on the depth chart, but that’s a minor nitpick.

Grade: A-

Offensive line

Ben Bartch
Jake Brendel
Spencer Burford
Connor Colby
Matt Hennessy
Colton McKivitz
Drew Moss
Austen Pleasants
Dominick Puni
Trent Williams

It’s hard to imagine all 10 players stick around beyond the next set of roster moves, but for now there are questions among the starting five and down the depth chart.

Grade: C–

Defensive line

Evan Anderson
Robert Beal Jr.
Nick Bosa
Alfred Collins
Kalia Davis
Jordan Elliott
Yetur Gross-Matos
Bryce Huff
Sam Okuayinonu
CJ West
Mykel Williams

This is another packed group with room to lose a player or two. There’s not as much immediate help as there might have been last year, but the upside is so much higher after an offseason overhaul.

Grade: C

Linebacker (5)

Tatum Bethune
Luke Gifford
Nick Martin
Fred Warner
Dee Winters

Martin’s emergence in the final couple of preseason games showed off the big-time upside from this group. Bethune also had some nice moments during the exhibition slate. Winters as the starting Will LB has a lot to prove, but this is a solid group overall.

Grade: B–

Cornerback (6)

Renardo Green
Chase Lucas
Darrell Luter Jr.
Siran Neal
Upton Stout
Deommodore Lenoir

The 49ers badly need Stout to be a quality cornerback. If he’s not, the options are exceedingly thin with Neal and Lucas both on the team for special teams purposes.

Grade: B-

Safety (4)

Ji’Ayir Brown
Richie Grant
Jason Pinnock
Marques Sigle

This isn’t a bad group, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the 49ers wind up mixing and matching starters until Malik Mustapha returns from his ACL injury.

Grade: C

Specialists (2)

K Jake Moody
LS Jon Weeks

It was a small surprise Thomas Morstead was let go, but he’ll more than likely be back soon. Moody’s preseason struggles hurt this grade some.

Grade: C-

More 49ers: Commanders release WR who could be target for 49ers after roster cuts

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: San Francisco 49ers roster: Grades for each position group after cuts