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Insider NFL analysts Mel Kiper, Gary Horton, Matt Williamson, Field Yates and Herm Edwards break down every NFL team in five key categories to see how the league might stack up three years from now entering the 2016 season.

Story | Conversation | June 19, 2013

San Francisco 49ers fans should take a look at what Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has to say about the NFC Championship Game. Ryan sat down with Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com to analyze key aspects of the game that vaulted San Francisco to ...

Jim McCormick previews individual defensive players (IDPs) for the 2013 fantasy football season.

The Cowboys' Sean Lee is poised to join the ranks of the elite at linebacker.

In the new Foot Locker commercial for ASICS shoes out Thursday, San Francisco's Patrick Willis says he's the fastest linebacker in football. One thing he can't outrun is the controversy over when he recently killed a gopher snake in his house. ...

Our post-draft amendments to pre-draft positional rankings continue with Matt Williamson, NFL scout for ESPN.com. Up next: linebackers. NFC West teams drafted six of them if we count the San Francisco 49ers' Corey Lemonier and the Arizona Cardi...

Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY SportsThe 49ers have had success with a home grown team built primrily through the draft.The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2013 NFL Draft with 13 draft picks, the most of any team. If they make all 13 picks, it will be the mo...

The San Francisco 49ers placed three linebackers on the Associated Press' All-Pro first team for 2012. A fourth 49ers linebacker earned second-team All-Pro honors. Matt Williamson Ranks West by Position Team SF SEA STL ARI QB...

The San Francisco 49ers have generally done a good job identifying which players to re-sign ahead of time. Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, NaVorro Bowman and Joe Staley stand as examples from past seasons. Deciding against paying big money for other...

Top NFC West ILB Contracts ILB APY Gtd. Patrick Willis $10.0M $29.0M NaVorro Bowman $8.9M $25.5M James Laurinaitis $8.3M $23.6M Daryl Washington $8.0M $5.0M Source: ESPN Stats & Informatio...

T.R. Foley offers his list of 10 non-MMA athletes who could do well as fighters

Story | Conversation | March 28, 2013

T.R. Foley offers his list of 10 non-MMA athletes who could do well as fighters

Story | Conversation | March 28, 2013

The San Francisco 49ers probably are not going to overhaul their defensive scheme to accommodate newly added tackle Glenn Dorsey. Initial reports suggest Dorsey will help fill the void created by nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga's departure to the Philad...

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Patrick Willis, Adrian Wilson and Steven Jackson defined toughness, physical play and intimidation in the NFC West when the division was known for none of those things. It's only fitting Wilson and Jackson are leaving together. While it's possi...

BOSTON -- The San Francisco 49ers, having already spent big for Patrick Willis, engaged in a lengthy internal debate before deciding to invest heavily in a second inside linebacker, NaVorro Bowman, last season. The St. Louis Rams also had big-pict...