Full San Francisco 49ers Midseason Awards
The midseason award for the San Francisco 49ers' most valuable player goes to running back Carlos Hyde.
It's not because Hyde is the Niners’ best player—that would either be outside linebacker Aaron Lynch or left tackle Joe Staley. Those two might make the Pro Bowl this year. Hyde probably won’t, because he’s playing through a stress fracture in his foot and running behind a bad offensive line.
But Hyde is the 49ers’ entire offense—the only powerful running back on a run-first team. San Francisco cannot compete without him. No player is more important than Hyde to the 49ers’ presently and in the future.
Here are the rest of the 49ers' midseason awards.
Least Valuable Player: Ian Silberman (G)
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It’s hard to imagine why the 49ers spent a sixth-round draft pick on guard Ian Silberman. Maybe general manager Trent Baalke thought Silberman can develop into a contributor after a few seasons, because right now Silberman contributes nothing.
Through eight games, Silberman has been active just once. And he didn’t play during that game.
Don’t expect Silberman to play anytime soon. He plays only one position—guard. Backup interior linemen must be able to play guard AND center. Silberman can’t snap the ball, especially when a quarterback is in the shotgun.
That was clear during training camp. Somedays, Silberman would miss the quarterback eight or nine times.
Most Improved Player: Garrett Celek (TE)
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Coming into this season, tight end Garrett Celek had made eight catches during his whole career.
Midway through this season, Celek has already made 15 catches—only one fewer than wide receiver Torrey Smith has made.
Coming into this season, Celek seemed unlikely to make the team. The Niners invited eight tight ends to training camp, and Celek didn’t seem like one of the three or four best.
Halfway through this season, Celek is hands-down the best tight end on the roster—better than former second-round pick Vance McDonald and better than former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.
Celek’s emergence is a big reason the Niners could afford to trade Davis in the first place.
Biggest Underachiever: Marcus Martin (C)
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According to Pro Football Focus, the 49ers' lowest-graded player by far is starting center Marcus Martin. He has earned a grade of minus-27.7, which happens to be the second-lowest grade of any player in the league regardless of position, per PFF.
The 49ers actually spent a third-round pick on Martin in 2014. He was only 20-years old when the picked him—they must have thought he would improve.
He hasn’t. He turns 22 on November 29, and he’s still one of the NFL's weakest offensive linemen. He's certainly too weak to play guard and apparently too weak to play center as well. Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, Martin gave up a safety after getting tossed aside by defensive tackle Michael Brockers.
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Rookie of the Year: Jaquiski Tartt (S)
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Midway through the season, Jaquiski Tartt has been the 49ers’ best rookie.
Tartt has been the only rookie who’s gotten significant playing time. According to Pro Football Focus, Tartt has played 213 snaps this season—roughly 40 percent of all snaps.
Tartt struggled early on as a dime back playing underneath coverage on passing downs, but he was learning on the job. He had no background in that role. In college, he was a free safety who played deep zone coverage.
Tartt became the Niners' starting strong safety during Week 7 after Antoine Bethea tore his pectoral muscle. Now, Tartt seems much more comfortable. Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams, Tartt earned a plus-1.4 pass-coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Tartt's stock is on the rise.
Most Overrated Player: Eric Reid (S)
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The 49ers’ best safety in Week 8 was rookie Jaquiski Tartt, not former Pro Bowler Eric Reid.
Reid is the most overrated 49ers player. People just assume he’s still as good as he was his rookie season when he intercepted four passes and was a ferocious hitter.
That was 2013. Since then, Reid has intercepted only three passes and has become one of the team's most timid tacklers. He has already missed nine tackles this season—tied for seventh-most among safeties, per Pro Football Focus.
Perhaps concussions have affected Reid’s performance. Reid has suffered three of them since entering the league.
Most Underused Player: Bruce Ellington (WR)
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For some reason, the 49ers hardly ever use their most explosive player on offense: wide receiver Bruce Ellington.
Ellington is a quick, strong slot receiver who ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2014 (h/t NFLDraftScout.com). He’s a legitimate weapon, similar to Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers, or Tavon Austin of the St. Louis Rams.
Ellington can do a variety of things, including catch screen passes, downfield passes or passes over the middle. He can run reverses and jet sweeps. He can even line up in the backfield and carry the ball every once in a while.
As a rookie, Ellington rushed six times and scored once. This season, Ellington hasn’t rushed at all.
Most Overpaid Player: Colin Kaepernick (QB)
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On Monday, the 49ers benched their highest-paid player: quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick signed a six-year, $114 million contract just last summer. The Niners thought Kaepernick was their franchise quarterback—the heir apparent to Joe Montana and Steve Young—even though Kaepernick had started only 23 games.
Turns out, the Niners should have waited for more evidence. Kaepernick wasn’t the guy they thought he was, and San Francisco almost certainly will cut him at the end of the season.
The Niners probably would have loved to trade him before the deadline Tuesday afternoon, but Kaepernick isn’t tradeable under his current monstrosity of a contract.
No team wants to spend $19 million per season for a quarterback whose passer rating is 78.8.
All training-camp observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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