Where the 49ers Currently Rank in the NFC West

The NFL Draft is just a few days away, so let's take stock of the 49ers before they add a bunch of rookies to their roster.

Where do the 49ers stand in the NFC West as of today?

Clearly, the draft will help the 49ers. They currently have 11 picks and plan to draft a few immediate starters because they lost nine in free agency and signed no replacements. Meanwhile, the Rams, the Cardinals and the Seahawks actually tried to improve this offseason. So let's where the 49ers currently stack up.

1. The Rams

Their record last season was 10-7, but they started 1-4 because Puka Nacua was injured. Then he returned and they won 9 of their final 12 regular season games plus they destroyed the Vikings in the playoffs. This offseason, the Rams replaced Cooper Kupp, who's washed, with Davante Adams, who's still good.

In addition, the Rams signed nose tackle Poona Ford to improve a run defense that ranked 26th out of 32 teams in yards per carry allowed last season. The Rams should win the division if they stay relatively healthy. That being said, Adams and Matthew Stafford are old.

2. The Cardinals

They improved from a four-win team to an eight-win team in Year 2 under head coach Jonathan Gannon. This year, they're making a push to win the division. They recently signed three starters on their defensive line: Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson.

In addition, Kyler Murray is two years removed from a torn ACL and says he'll be a bigger rushing threat than he was last season. This is a hungry team that beat the 49ers twice last year.

3. The 49ers

They won 6 games last year with one of the oldest, most expensive rosters in the NFL. So this offseason, they tore a lot of it down. They said goodbye to nine starters during free agency and now lead the league in dead cap space for 2025.

Clearly, the 49ers want to take their lumps financially now so they can bounce back in 2026, which means this is a transition year for the 49ers. They're not tanking, but they're not all-in, either. So if Christian McCaffrey stays healthy and three or four rookies play like Pro Bowlers, the 49ers will be dangerous. Otherwise, they'll be like they were last season.

4. The Seahawks

They won 10 games last season but missed the playoffs and then started a mini-rebuild like the 49ers. The Seahawks currently have the second-most dead cap space for 2025, which shows they're in a transition year as well. They recently signed Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp to replace Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf. It's unclear if the Seahawks actually upgraded.