The NFL's free agency frenzy is heating up with the legal tampering period for all 32 teams opening up on Monday morning. As clubs prepare to make important moves to better their rosters in 2024, let's take a final look back at the San Francisco 49ers best players from the 2023 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. Historic performances and impressive statistical feats by various 49ers helped contribute to a Super Bowl LVIII appearance and translated into nine Pro Bowl selections and seven All-Pro designations for the team. It should come as no surprise that ten players landed on Pro Football Focus' "Top 101 Players of the 2023 Season."
PFF's Sam Monson detailed the criteria used to create the list, which accounts solely for performance in 2023. The list also took a "all positions are created equal" approach, and unlike PFF awards at the end of the regular season, "some players who won PFF awards may find themselves jumped in the 101 by rivals who had a playoff run worthy of a change in ranking."
Below are the ten players who were identified as top 101 players by PFF:
No. 5 RB - Christian McCaffrey
"Dating back to college, McCaffrey has been a scrimmage-yards cheat code, and this year was maybe his finest work in the NFL. He led the league in rushing yards (1,459), added 564 receiving yards and scored 23 touchdowns between receptions and carries. He only added to those numbers in the playoffs on his way to a Super Bowl in which he had another 160 yards from scrimmage."
No. 6 - DL Nick Bosa
"Bosa orchestrated maybe the most quietly dominant season in the NFL in 2023... He ultimately finished with 122 total pressures, including the playoffs and 12 in the Super Bowl. Bosa posted new career highs in PFF overall grade (92.2) and PFF pass-rushing grade (92.3)."
No. 13 OT Trent Williams
"The best left tackle in football showed no signs of slowing down this past season, dominating once again for the 49ers. He didn't give up a single sack all year, including the playoffs, and his 92.5 PFF run-blocking grade was the second-best mark among tackles."
No. 18 - WR Brandon Aiyuk
"The 49ers don't throw the ball as much as other teams, so Aiyuk's opportunity to put up volume was limited. He averaged 2.65 yards per route run and almost 18 yards per reception while dropping only two passes all season. Aiyuk was one of the most devastating playmakers on one of the league's best offenses."
No. 22 - TE George Kittle
"Where Kittle separates himself from other elite receivers at the tight end position is in blocking. Kittle is a throwback to a time when tight ends were all-around threats who got dirty in the trenches and caught passes. His 87.7 PFF overall grade in 2023 was by far the best at the position."
No. 29 - LB Fred Warner
"The gold standard when it comes to off-ball linebackers in today's NFL, Warner was again the best in the league at that position on his way to a Super Bowl appearance. His PFF overall grade was bested by only one other linebacker."
No. 32 - QB Brock Purdy
"Purdy isn't built for today's hot-take landscape that lacks nuance. In a spectacular season, absolutely aided by the contributions of coach Kyle Shanahan and his supporting cast, Purdy and the 49ers became greater than the sum of the team's parts. Purdy averaged 9.6 yards per attempt this season, almost a full yard better than any other quarterback."
No. 35 - CB Charvarius Ward
"Ward has played the best football of his career since signing with the 49ers, and he was once again one of the best cornerbacks in the game in 2023. Including the playoffs, Ward had five interceptions and 16 pass breakups. He allowed just a 62.3 passer rating when targeted."
No. 59 - LB Dre Greenlaw
"His season ended in tragic circumstances in the Super Bowl, a torn Achilles suffered when running onto the field, but Greenlaw had been an impact playmaker for the 49ers up until that point, forging one of the most potent linebacker combinations in the game alongside Fred Warner."
No. 64 - WR Deebo Samuel Sr.
"Samuel may be the most important player on the 49ers offense. When he wasn't in the lineup, things changed for the worse. He averaged 2.26 yards per route run and had five rushing touchdowns, but his impact is felt beyond the stats, as the threat he brings of lining up all over the formation impacts defenses on every snap."
