ESPN ranks the 49ers lower than the Seahawks in their ‘Future Power Rankings’

The 49ers are set up for success in the present and the future. ESPN puts out future power rankings to determine how each team stacks up against each other. They release future power rankings to indicate team performance by using several factors such as roster depth, quarterback excellence, coaching prowess, draft success, and front office.

San Francisco finds itself tied for eighth with the Jacksonville Jaguars:

Overall roster (minus QB) - 90.74
Quarterback - 76.017
Coaching - 93.02
Draft - 72.726
Front office - 80.713

Anything in the 90s is considered “great,” while the 80s are “very good,” and the 70s considers you average.

Reason for hope: Coach Kyle Shanahan’s ability to design winning game plans around basically any quarterback is the main reason to feel good about the 49ers’ short- and long-term prospects. The roster is as loaded as any in the league for the next couple of years. The depth chart and tremendous coaching staff are more than enough to make up for continued questions at the QB position. — Graziano

Reason for concern: Who is going to be the quarterback? Will Brock Purdy be healthy, and will he be able to continue to ascend in 2023 like he did at the end of 2022? Will Trey Lance stay healthy, and will the work he put in this offseason pay off (either in San Francisco or elsewhere)? Will Sam Darnold take advantage of what could be a perfect situation for him? With this much uncertainty at the most important position in all of sports, the 49ers’ future as a legitimate Super Bowl contender is a day-to-day proposition. — Riddick

Stat to know: Receiver Deebo Samuel’s after-the-catch ability is incredible, but the rest of his receiving profile left something to be desired in 2022. He recorded just a 20 catch score last season, worst among all qualifying wide receivers in our receiver tracking metrics. Samuel doesn’t have to be great in that area to be an exceptional receiver, but catching so few passes relative to expectation hurts his value. — Walder

Question marks at quarterback haven’t stopped the 49ers from successful campaigns before, and it won’t now. The team made the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. We’ve seen what they can accomplish when there’s a quarterback with an aggressive bone in his body.

Stability should be a reason for concern. Shanahan’s genius and the strength of the roster aside, you don’t want to play musical chairs with who is under center.

But we’ve jumped the shark and when people tell you that the Niners being a Super Bowl contender is a “day-to-day proposition” are ignoring what makes this team go, and it isn’t the quarterback.

Here’s how the top 10 shakes out for ESPN’s future power rankings:

1. Eagles
2. Chiefs
3. Bengals
4. Ravens
5. Bills
6. Seahawks
7. Steelers
8. Jaguars
9. 49ers
10. Cowboys

Seattle was the top-ranked team for their draft, which propelled them into the top 10.