The San Francisco 49ers are clearly one of the NFL’s best teams, and they proved it last year by dominating the NFC West division and getting all the way to the NFC Championship game. They were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles by a 31-7 margin and they lost quarterback Brock Purdy to a torn UCL in that game.

The Purdy loss was huge in that game and will have ramifications throughout the upcoming season, but the Niners have a brilliant roster to allow them to make up for that loss. The early reports on his health are good, and there appears to be a decent chance he could be the starting quarterback in Week 1. However, the Niners will have to track his progress every step of the way before he is anointed as QB1.

The Niners have a slew of stars on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey are all capable of dominating, and the Niners also have a solid offensive line  that give their stars an opportunity to shine.

On defense, defensive end Nick Bosa, middle linebacker Fred Warner and strong safety Talanoa Hufanga are all capable of taking over a game and putting their imprint on it. Bosa finished the season as the AP Defensive Player of the Year and he recorded 18.5 sacks a year ago.

He is the kind of powerful defensive force who can simply overwhelm the opposing offense with his size, strength, athleticism and indomitable will.

But in addition to their stars, the Niners have a pair of hidden gems who can also impact their season.

49ers Cornerback Isaiah Oliver

The Niners made a sharp move when they signed Oliver as a free agent.

The former Atlanta Falcon slots in as a nickel back this season after signing a two-year, $6.75 million deal.

One of the problems the Niners defense had last year was that they struggled against bigger receivers. That’s one of the ways that Oliver can help. He has enough size at 6-0 and 210 pounds to hold his own against receivers with size.

Oliver has had injury problems in the past, but when he has been healthy, he has been a solid performer. Oliver had his best season in 2020 when he had 70 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 6 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.

Oliver’s physical presence fits in well with San Francisco’s aggressive defense. This is a team that believes in physical intimidation, and Oliver can deliver a nasty hit to receivers coming over the middle.

49ers Edge rusher Clelin Ferrell

Ferrell is a player ho came into the league with exceptional expectations because he was the No. 4 pick of the (then) Oakland Raiders in 2019. Certainly there were high hopes that he would deliver double digit sacks for the Silver and Black.

It never happened as Ferrell had just 10 sacks during his 4 years with the team.

He could be a player that turns his career around with a new team in a much different environment. One of the things Ferrell has working for him is that he gets to play for defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who has a history of turning players around.

Some of the players Kocurek has had success with include Kerry Hyder, Arden Key, Jordan Willis and Samson Ebukam.

The other factor that should help Ferrell is that this is the year he must turn his career around. A troubled former first-round pick regularly gets a second chance to prove himself. However, if that second chance does not work out for Ferrell, he may not get the opportunity for a third chance.