Who on the 49ers Exceeded Expectations the Most in 2021?

There is one specific player or coach on the 49ers that blew away any and all expectations in 2021.

There are always expectations going into a season.

Whether it is a specific player or coach, expectations surround teams no matter what.

Going into 2021, their were a ton of expectations with the San Francisco 49ers. At the forefront of it was the quarterback competition entering training camp between Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. Then there were the expectations of some of the rookies such as Trey Sermon, Elijah Mitchell, and Aaron Banks.

Some of these players and coaches met or fell short of their expectations, but only one blew the doors off compared to the rest.

So who on the 49ers exceeded expectations the most in 2021?

It is undeniably defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

Filling in for Robert Saleh, who was superb in his own right, was not an easy job. Considering it was his first time as a coordinator and that he had only four years of coaching experience put a lot of weight on his shoulders. No one would have blamed him if the defense saw a drop off in 2021.

In fact, I fully expected there to be growing pains with Ryans, especially when it came to mid-game adjustments. That is where Saleh excelled at the most with the 49ers, so Ryans had a full dinner plate in front of him in terms of expectations.

And boy, did he eviscerate any and all expectations this past season.

Ryans had the 49ers top five in sacks and third-down efficiency against the run and pass. The turnovers weren't so hot, but ultimately what a defensive coordinator should strive for is sacks/pressure on the quarterback and being stout on third-down. Ryans managed this with a questionable cornerback unit all season long.

He did such a phenomenal job that you could make the case that he was better than Saleh in any year with the 49ers. Being able to lead a defense to such great heights and maintain that level of great performance for every game is nothing short of stellar. He did such a tremendous job his first year as coordinator that head coaching opportunities arose with the Vikings.

The 49ers should feel fortunate that he is staying because it just might be the last season they have him as defensive coordinator.

"DeMeco is going to be a head coach," said Kyle Shanahan. "He's too good not to be, whether it's this year, whether it's next year, whether it's anytime, but DeMeco's going to be a head coach. And I think it helps all people the more experience you get at every position. It only helps you, it makes you more prepared for when you get that moment, not to say if he wanted it this year and he's ready. 

"But he's only going to get stronger every year that he coaches, regardless of what he's coaching. But it was cool that he had the confidence to make that decision. Whatever he thought was best for him and his family. And I know we're very gratefully did because it makes the Niners better and I think it's going to make him continue to get better also.”

Much like with how legendary 2019 was for the 49ers' defense, 2021 should not be taken for granted. Ryans now has a season of film out for offenses to poach, so it would not be farfetched to see him have a hiccup here and there in 2022. 

Regardless, Ryans was by far the best 49ers coach and most impactful next to Deebo Samuel.