With exactly one month left until the start of the new league year, teams across the NFL are preparing for the free agency frenzy that also begins at that time. Roster turnover is one of the few constants in the league, and there are 33 members of the San Francisco 49ers roster set to become either exclusive rights, restricted or unrestricted free agents.
Four of those 33 players have landed on Pro Football Focus list of top 100 players set to enter free agency. The list includes cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and right guard Aaron Banks. PFF noted that it considered player performance over the last two seasons before unrestricted free agency to offer "a balanced snapshot of recent production and consistency." Because only unrestricted free agents were considered in this top 100 list, nine of the previously mentioned 49ers players were likely not considered since they are either exclusive rights or restricted free agents.
Below is a breakdown of the free agents highlighted by the PFF staff:
No. 13 CB Charvarius Ward
"Ward struggled in 2024 and posted career lows in a number of PFF metrics, but his overall body of work will keep him as one of the top options on the market in 2025. Last year was his best in the NFL to date, with his 86.5 PFF coverage grade ranking third among all players at the position. With cornerback teammate Deommodore Lenoir receiving an in-season extension, the writing appears to be on the wall that Ward will be on the way out of San Francisco."
No. 18 LB Dre Greenlaw
"Greenlaw worked his way back from an Achilles injury he suffered in the Super Bowl last February but was shut down after only 34 snaps in 2024. He will still likely see a lot of interest in free agency. He excels in coverage, having earned PFF coverage grades of 82.6 and 79.5 over the past two seasons."
No. 23 S Talanoa Hufanga
"A fifth-round draft pick in 2021, Hufanga earned PFF coverage grades above 65.0 in both 2022 and 2023."
Additionally, he posted an 80.5 run defense grade in 2023.
No. 73 G Aaron Banks
"The former second-round pick showed steady growth over his four-year rookie deal, though he never eclipsed 90% of snaps played in a season at a position where you'd like to play as close to 100% as possible. Banks moves very well in the run game for his size, which is presumably what made him most attractive to the 49ers in the first place, but still has room to grow in pass protection."
