Ranking the San Francisco 49ers' 5 Best Players Entering Week 6

The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens look radically different than they did in Super Bowl XLVII.

Neither team looks good anymore. Both are 1-4 and on the verge of collapsing.

The Ravens still have the quarterback from their Super Bowl team, Joe Flacco. But they don’t have their top pass-rusher, Terrell Suggs (he's hurt), nor do they have their top two receivers, Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. They’re on the Niners.

In 2012, San Francisco's best players were Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Joe Staley. Now, three of them are gone, and one is a shell of what he was.

Entering this Week 6 matchup, here are the five best players the Niners have left.

5. K Phil Dawson

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One thing the Niners didn’t have in the Super Bowl against the Ravens: a good kicker.

The Niners had David Akers, who made only 69 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2012—second-worst in the NFL that season. He also missed a critical field goal in the NFC Championship game.

In 2013, the Niners replaced Akers with Phil Dawson, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history.

Dawson is now 40, so he’s lost some leg power and no longer kicks kickoffs. But he’s still money inside 45 yards, and any kicker who’s money inside 45 yards is a tremendous asset.

4. OG Alex Boone

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The 49ers offensive line stinks this season, so it’s easy to overlook how good left guard Alex Boone still is.

According to Pro Football Focus, Boone is the 49ers’ best pass-blocker this season, having allowed just one sack, no quarterback hits and two hurries through five games. He also is a terrific run-blocker. The Niners offense is averaging 6.5 yards per carry on runs behind left guard, per Pro Football Focus.

Boone will be a free agent next offseason, and the Niners typically don’t extend their guards’ contracts. They’ll miss Boone when he signs for big money somewhere else next year.

3. RB Carlos Hyde

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According to certain metrics, Carlos Hyde already is the best running back in the NFL.

Hyde tops Pro Football Focus’ list of elusive running backs with an elusive rating of 91.7. This metric measures a running back’s effectiveness independent of the offensive line he runs behind.

Hyde also leads the league in missed tackles forced with 25, according to Pro Football Focus. Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranks second with 20 missed tackles forced. Hyde is in another class.

As good as he is, don’t crown Hyde the best running back in the league or even the best player on the 49ers offense just yet. He has started only five games in the NFL and averaged fewer than 3.5 yards per carry in three of those games. He needs to prove himself over the course of an entire season.

2. OLB Aaron Lynch

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When the Niners were in the Super Bowl in February 2013, six starters on defense were Pro Bowlers, and almost every starter on defense was an impact player.

Last week against the New York Giants, only one player on the Niners defense made a big impact—second-year outside linebacker Aaron Lynch.

Lynch didn’t register a sack in that game, but he did register four quarterback hits and eight hurries against Giants backup right tackle Marshall Newhouse, according to Pro Football Focus. Lynch looked like an All Pro.

The week before, Lynch dominated Green Bay Packers backup right tackle Don Barclay. Once Lynch dominates a Pro Bowler, Lynch may be considered the Niners’ best player.

1. LT Joe Staley

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Left tackle Joe Staley is the face of the 49ers franchise and one of the greatest players in team history.

Although he’s not quite as good as he was the season the Niners went to the Super Bowl, he’s still one of the best left tackles in the NFL, especially when it comes to run blocking. According to Pro Football focus, the Niners offense is averaging 8.4 yards per carry this season when it runs behind Staley.

It probably should keep running behind Staley.

The Niners clearly have to rebuild most of their roster and probably won’t contend for the playoffs any time soon. But at least they’re set at left tackle.

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