San Francisco 49ers Pro Football Hall of Fame watch

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct the class of 2023 on Aug. 5. Here are players from the 2023 49ers who could join the immortals in Canton someday.

Fringe Hall of Famer

George Kittle, tight end: Kittle has proven to be a steal for the 49ers after his selection in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Almost instantly he became one of the team's most reliable receivers and one of the league's best tight ends. 

Kittle is quickly climbing the all-time leaderboard for tight ends for receptions (395) and yards (5,254), and has already been named to four Pro Bowls and earned three All-Pro nods (one first-team and two second-team). Kittle has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons on his résumé. Injuries robbed him of 11 games in 2021 and 2022 or he would probably have four.

Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only nine tight ends are in Canton. If he stays on track, Kittle could add his name to the list.

Fred Warner, linebacker: Warner is a staple on one of the best defensive teams of this era. Although he doesn't have a huge sack total — just 6.5 in five seasons — he is a force who impacts the game all over the field.

Warner is a tackling machine (634 in all) and one of the best run-stuffers in the league, recording at least 118 tackles in all five seasons. That has helped him earn a pair of first-team All-Pro selections. 

The one thing that might hold him back when it comes to Hall of Fame consideration is the lack of splash plays in terms of sacks, interceptions and forced fumbles. But Warner isn't the player whom the 49ers — who have an elite D-line — depend on to rush a quarterback.  

A young player who could develop into a Hall of Famer

Nick Bosa, edge rusher: You could make an argument that he is a Hall of Fame lock or at least in the fringe category after only four seasons in the league. 

Bosa, who's only 25, had a great rookie year (nine sacks), missed all but two games of his second season and then came back with back-to-back monster years in 2021 (15.5 sacks) and 2022 (18.5 sacks). The latter earned him NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

He is unquestionably one of the best players in the NFL, but his résumé includes only 51 games, not enough to make him a lock for the HOF. A lot can change quickly in the NFL, from a drop in production to an injury, but Bosa clearly is on a path to all-time greatness.