Former NFL GM: 49ers have best RB, LB, and S groups in the NFL

The San Francisco 49ers have seen significant success in the NFL over the past four seasons, making the NFC Championship Game three times during that span due to a talented roster on both sides of the ball.

Building through the draft, as well as making some key trades, the 49ers have accumulated high-end talent at several positions, orchestrating a top-ten attack on both sides of the ball in 2023.

Which position groups of theirs rank amongst the best in the NFL?

Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond broke down the best group at every position, given that 2023 rosters are primarily set at this point in the offseason, and the 49ers were a common face on the list.

Diamond ranked the 49ers as the best team at running back, linebacker, and safety, marking the only organization that ranked the best at three different positions on the list.

The 49ers revamped their running back room, adding star Christian McCaffrey in a midseason trade last season, and retaining Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason, two highly-efficient ball carriers from a season ago.

Here’s what Diamond had to say about the 49ers’ running back group:

“Those poor, undervalued running backs still have a champion in the league’s highest-paid back — Christian McCaffrey. He’s coming off a Pro Bowl season and remains elite as a runner (1,139 rushing yards and a 4.7 yard average last season for the Panthers and 49ers) and receiving back (85 receptions, 741 yards, 5 TDs).

Elijah Mitchell is an excellent No. 2 back with 963 rushing yards in 2021 before injuries limited him to only five games last season. Then there’s star receiver Deebo Samuel who is a huge threat on the jet sweep and on other running plays, as he has 782 rushing yards and 14 TDs on the ground in his four-year career.”

Diamond mentioned the Atlanta Falcons as a secondary threat to the 49ers, as they added Bijan Robinson to the third-best rushing attack in 2022, while retaining all of the weapons that led Atlanta to that mark in Tyler Allgeier, Cordarelle Patterson, and Caleb Huntley.

In addition to the running back group, Diamond believes the 49ers sport the best linebacker corps in the NFL, headlined by Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, who each had fantastic seasons in 2022.

“Sensing a trend here? The San Francisco 49ers linebackers played a big role in the defense, ranking first in total yards allowed and second in run defense last season to help the team to the NFC title game. Fred Warner is a First-team All-Pro middle linebacker who made 130 tackles in 2022 while Dre Greenlaw also was impactful with 127 tackles,” Diamond shared. “Both players can run, hit and cover well and neither was a high draft pick (Warner was a third-rounder and Greenlaw a fifth-rounder which shows the good scouting work of the Niners). Azeez Al-Shaair left for Tennessee in free agency and is expected to be adequately replaced by Oren Burks, who played well last year in a limited role (38 tackles while playing only 15 percent of the defensive snaps).”

The 49ers topped the Baltimore Ravens, who have All-Pro Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, as well as the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears at the linebacker position.

Lastly, in a bit of a surprise, Diamond ranked the 49ers’ safety corps as the best in the NFL, fresh off a season where Talanoa Hufanga earned first-team All-Pro honors, while Tashaun Gipson enjoyed a career rejuvenation in San Francisco after his tenure with the Bears came to an end.

While pointing out the talented core of safeties in Buffalo with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, as well as other talented playmakers such as Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James, Diamond believes that San Francisco’s starting duo is the strongest in the NFL.

There are several teams with a strong case for top safety group. The Bills have Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Damar Hamlin (a great story when he lines up on opening day). The Pittsburgh Steelers are led by All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick, and the Los Angeles Chargers boast three-time Pro Bowl safety Derwin James (115 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions in 14 games last season).

But for the best duo of starting safeties, I’m going to a familiar place — the 49ers’ top-ranked defense. Talanoa Hufanga emerged as a First-Team All-Pro in his second season after being a fifth-round pick. Hufanga had four interceptions and 97 tackles last season. His running mate Tashaun Gipson had five interceptions. The 49ers also drafted Ji’Ayir Brown in this year’s third round and have added depth and an All-Pro special teamer in safety George Odum.