The Most Overrated Player on the 49ers

The 49ers have the best roster in the NFL, a fact that comes with some consequences.

Some of their great players are stars. Other great players are overshadowed and underappreciated, players such as Charvarius Ward and Brandon Aiyuk. And then there are the players who are assumed to be great because they’re on the 49ers but really aren’t great at all. They’re overrated.

Some people might argue that Brock Purdy is overrated because his numbers say he’s elite but he’s really a product of the system and the supporting cast. Others might say that Christian McCaffrey is overrated because he’s seen as a future Hall of Famer now that he’s on the 49ers while he never was seen that way when he was in Carolina.

But those two players were legitimate MVP candidates last season. They’re very good. The most overrated player on the 49ers isn’t very good. In fact, he’s more of a liability than people realize.

I’m talking about defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.

The 49ers gave him a four-year, $84 million contract last year because they thought he’d be a difference-maker. Thought he’d be better than DeForest Buckner, whom they traded because they didn’t want to pay him more than $20 million per season.

But in Hargrave’s first season with the 49ers, he wasn’t in shape, he was terrible against the run and he recorded just 7.0 sacks. He didn’t come close to living up to his salary. And yet he made the Pro Bowl anyway, which shows how overrated he is based on his reputation from the past.

Now Hargrave is 31. He’s almost certainly on the downside of his career. And if he has another disappointing season, the 49ers will have no choice but to release him.

Let’s see if Hargrave can step it up.