San Francisco 49ers near top of CBS Sports All-Time Power Rankings

The NFL Draft is three weeks away, and the wrap of Pro Days has quieted things down to some extent. Not that we have a problem with the quiet these days! But we still want to keep the chatter humming along. Our friends at Daily Norseman came across an interesting article at CBSSports.com.

Brad Gagnon decided to put together an "all-time power ranking" of NFL teams during the Super Bowl era (the last 49 years). He devised a formula that credits teams for Super Bowl appearances, Hall of Famers and division titles. He credits teams with 10 points for a Super Bowl victory, 5 points for a Super Bowl loss, three points for each Hall of Famer from that franchise, and one point for each division title. He also awarded points for where a team ranked in overall winning percentage.

The San Francisco 49ers end up ranked No. 3, behind only the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers got 50 points for their five Super Bowl wins, 5 points for their Super Bowl loss, 27 points for Hall of Famers, and 28 points for their all-time winning percentage (5th best all-time). I'm not entirely sure how they sorted through the Hall of Fame numbers. I think Charles Haley might have been included for the 49ers, but they also appear to have included him with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys and Steelers were a clear step ahead of the 49ers in this system. They have more Hall of Famers and eight Super Bowl appearances apiece. It adds up, but the 49ers are still in a strong position. The Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots are right behind them, with the Patriots strength over the last 15 years so huge.

These are just a fun way of looking at history, but it seems to fairly accurately reflect the strength of a lot of franchises. The most interesting team in the top ten might be the Minnesota Vikings. They are the only team in the top ten without a Super Bowl win, and in fact, everybody else in the top ten has at least two Super Bowl wins under their belt.