This isn't the season the 49ers expected. After blowing a late lead in Super Bowl LIV, it was reasonable to see San Francisco playing on the final day of the season this year once again.
But injuries have ravaged the 49ers, and the team simply hasn't played up to expectations. The 49ers enter Week 10 with a 4-5 record, which is last in the NFC West. Still, some players have been stars this year.
Fred Warner, Jason Verrett and Trent Williams all made Pro Football Focus' midseason All-Pro team, which was announced Wednesday. Here's how they have performed this season, and why each player has stood out to PFF.
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Fred Warner, LB
"Fred Warner has become a coverage superstar for the San Francisco 49ers at linebacker," PFF's Sam Monson wrote. "Throw on the tape, and you see him make incredible coverage plays that few players at the position have any hope of matching."
Warner, 23, already has 74 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defensed and three QB hits. He's allowing a lowly 60.5 passer rating when targeted, which more than 40 points lower than the average linebacker.
Warner has an 84.2 overall PFF grade. He's a star and already has become one of the best, if not the best, overall linebackers in the NFL.
Jason Verrett, CB
"Jason Verrett is one of the comeback stories of the season," Monson wrote. "He had played just four snaps on defense since the beginning of the 2018 season, and 327 since the start of 2016, but he has surpassed that total this year alone while establishing himself as one of the best cover guys in the league."
If it weren't for Alex Smith, Verrett easily would be the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. His seven games played this season are his most since 2015, when he made the Pro Bowl with the Los Angeles Chargers. He has one interception and three passes defensed this season. Verrett has a 78.3 overall PFF grade.
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San Francisco 49ers
Trent Williams, LT
While Warner and Verrett made the first team, Williams made PFF's second team. That's a bit surprising, too.
Williams has been nothing short of fantastic his first season as a 49er. He is PFF's highest-graded offensive tackle this season, yet Garett Boles was named to the first team.
It's clear Williams was worth giving up two draft picks, and the 49ers should do what they can to lock him up to a long-term contract.