49ers snubbed from PFF’s top 50 players entering 2019

Pro Football Focus released their top-50 players entering 2019 this morning. The list did not include a San Francisco 49er. The list loses credibility out of the gate by having Detroit Lions defensive tackle Damon Harrison at No. 49. PFF references his 92 overall grade, but not his 67 overall pass-rush grade, or the fact that Harrison had four combined sacks, hits, and hurries. Four! Deforest Buckner had over four in six games last year.

That is the disconnect with PFF. They will tweet out coverage grades; then their workers will say something along the lines of “well, most of that grade came in one game.” It just seems like a constant contradiction, and this is no different. The ability to rush the passer>grand canyon>stopping the run.

Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t make the list. Common sense tells you he’s one of the 50 most valuable players in the league, but PFF prefaced the article with this:

The PFF50 is a product of evaluating every player on every play of each NFL season to produce PFF’s unrivaled database of stats, grades, and information. This list is not about how valuable players are, but about how good they are, regardless of position. We started from the standpoint of a multi-year look at their grading before making adjustments based on situation, injuries where relevant, and new circumstances that could change a player’s future outlook.

Dante Pettis falls under the injury umbrella, plus he was just a rookie. Richard Sherman didn’t have the splash plays to get him on the list, but Dee Ford not making the list? I imagine this is where the grades come into play again. Ford graded as an 87 overall last year. Before to 2018, he was never over 70.

There are plenty of other examples on PFF’s list that you can pick apart, but should the list include a 49er?