The 49ers cleaned up in the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting Javon Kinlaw, Brandon Aiyuk and trading for Trent Williams to replace the retiring Joe Staley.
Are those moves enough to make the 49ers favorites to win the Super Bowl? In the NFC at least.
The latest odds from Caesar's Sportsbook have the 49ers at 8-to-1 to win the Super Bowl (meaning if you bet $100 you win $800). The 49ers have the best odds of any team in the NFC and trail only the Kansas City Chiefs (4-to-1) and are tied with the Baltimore Ravens (8-to-1) for the best odds.
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The 49ers are stacked with talent and the additions of Kinlaw, Aiyuk and Williams no doubt make them even more of a threat to repeat as NFC champions. But their road won't be easy. The Super Bowl loss hangover is a very real thing and the NFC will have a murderer's row of teams looking to knock the 49ers off their perch.
As you know, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-to-1) and look to rack up the Ws and have more than a few parties in Tompa Bay just as long as Brady can find the right house. Drew Brees returned to the New Orleans Saints (13-to-1) for another run in the Big Easy, and Emmanuel Sanders elected to leave the Bay for NOLA to try and win a ring down by the Bayou. The Dallas Cowboys (13-to-1) had arguably the best draft of any team, adding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore to a roster that already was stacked with talent.
Let's not forget about those pesky birds up north. The Seattle Seahawks (15-to-1) were 1 yard and a Dre Greenlaw tackle from winning the NFC West. With Russell Wilson still in his prime and Pete Carroll rebuilding a defense that has been running on fumes for the past two seasons, expect the Seahawks to push the 49ers to the limit once again.
San Francisco 49ers
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The Packers (16-to-1), their aging star quarterback and atrocious draft class round out the list of NFC contenders. Instead of getting Aaron Rodgers a receiver or two from a loaded class, the Packers drafted his heir apparent in the first round in Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. Then, they picked Boston College running back A.J. Dillon and Cincinnati tight end Josiah Deguara. Coach Matt LaFleur said he plans to use Deguara in the same role the 49ers use fullback Kyle Juszczyk. While it's smart to copy the team who mopped the floor with you twice last season, the Packers really should have thought about giving Rodgers another weapon on the outside to maximize his remaining years.
The road to Super Bowl LV will be filled with obstacles, but the 49ers currently sit in the driver's seat to be playing in Tampa Bay come February.