Mike Masala, Niners WireFri, January 30, 2026 at 1:45 AM UTC·2 min readThe San Francisco 49ers, after making the playoffs and eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round, were eliminated themselves and are moving on to offseason preparation.
San Francisco will have several decisions to make over the coming weeks and months, including which coaches to hire or move on from and which players they want to move forward with as well.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile the 49ers are considered to have an aging roster, there's still plenty of talent left on both sides of the ball that should help them remain competitive for 2026 and beyond.
Speaking of next year, Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano recently released his projection for the top-100 players in 2026, and he included four from Kyle Shanahan's roster. Let's look at which 49ers were selected and where they rank.
EDGE Nick Bosa - No. 45
"It’s not a given that Bosa will be at full strength next year after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in Week 3," Manzano wrote. "But Bosa had a similar knee injury in 2020 that forced him to play only two games, after which he returned the following season to generate 15.5 sacks. Obviously, he’s older and heading into his age-29 season, but he’s still a relentless pass rusher when healthy. "
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRB Christian McCaffrey - No. 38
"Injuries ravaged the 49ers, but they remained competitive throughout the season because of McCaffrey’s elite versatility," Manzano wrote. "He put aside his injury-riddled 2024 season, playing in every game and producing 2,126 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns (1,202 rushing yards, 924 receiving yards). He showed no signs of regressing in his ninth NFL season."
LB Fred Warner - No. 29
"Warner had a chance to return for the divisional matchup against the Seahawks, which tells you he should be cleared from his ankle injury well before training camp," Manzano wrote. "Warner was playing out of his mind before the injury in October, guiding an inexperienced defense that lost Bosa early in the season. He’s the heart and soul of the 49ers and remains an elite defensive playmaker."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOT Trent Williams - No. 23
"With Williams, 37, still playing at an elite level, the 49ers managed to produce a high-scoring offense despite all the shuffling caused by injuries this season," Manzano wrote. "Williams is the ultimate bodyguard for Brock Purdy and the perfect piece for what coach Kyle Shanahan aims to accomplish on the field. He’s made five All-Pro teams in his career, but he probably should have made a lot more in his illustrious 15 years."
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 4 49ers crack Sports Illustrated's top-100 player projection for 2026
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