How the NFC champion 49ers were built

Entering the season, the San Francisco 49ers were an afterthought in a competitive NFC West featuring the defending conference champion Los Angeles Rams.

But with creative coaching, an aggressive defense, and a top-tier rushing attack, Kyle Shanahan's squad defied the odds and will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

Here's how the 49ers built the team that's on the cusp of capturing the sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history:

Key players

Under-the-radar gems steal the show

While many strong squads feature one or two superstars, a new player seemingly steps up for San Francisco every week. The team's depth and balance have never been more evident than during this postseason run.

In the NFC Championship Game, little-known Raheem Mostert announced himself to the football world. The 27-year-old was the 49ers' leading regular-season rusher after posting 772 yards, but he's not the first running back who comes to mind in a backfield with Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. Six squads have cut Mostert since he entered the league in 2015, and yet he still torched the Green Bay Packers for 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, undrafted defensive backs Emmanuel Moseley and K'Waun Williams play vital roles for Robert Saleh's unit. The duo combined for four interceptions, 102 tackles, and 13 pass breakups this season. Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward - both high draft picks widely called busts early in their careers - are also two key defensive chess pieces.

From second last to a Super Bowl

Just nine months ago, the 49ers were selecting No. 2 in the NFL draft following a 4-12 campaign. They've been slotted inside the top 10 in each of the last four drafts, and the team hadn't qualified for the playoffs since 2013 prior to this season.

The Niners joined the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals and 1999 St. Louis Rams to become the third team to reach the big game after winning four or fewer contests the previous year. The club is also the first to follow four straight 10-plus loss campaigns with a Super Bowl appearance.

Building a champion in 2 years

San Francisco sure turned things around quickly. Though a few key players have been with the team for a while, the majority of the 49ers' core pieces were added over the last two offseasons.

After a rocky start to his tenure, general manager John Lynch was successful in the 2018 and 2019 drafts. First-round picks Nick Bosa and Mike McGlinchey play vital roles on the defensive and offensive line, respectively, while Day 2 selections Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner are already among the league's brightest young stars. The 49ers' reliance on rookies and second-year players makes their run at the Lombardi Trophy all the more impressive. The youngsters can play with the big boys.

Lynch and Co. complemented their draft success with selective free-agency aggression. Richard Sherman has become one of the league's biggest bargains in recent years, with the veteran cornerback reigniting his career in San Francisco. Kwon Alexander and Dee Ford were acquired in 2019 to round out a defense that underperformed the year prior. Adding them, combined with the emergence of Moseley, took Robert Saleh's unit to the next level.

Jerick McKinnon's troublesome knee injuries forced Shanahan to abandon a portion of his run-game strategy in 2018, so Coleman and Mostert were added to help pace his offense. Coleman provided a significant boost at times during the regular season while scoring seven touchdowns, and you know Mostert's story by now.

When the 49ers felt they were a field-stretching receiver away from assembling a truly potent offense, Lynch traded for Emmanuel Sanders. The deal paid instant dividends, and it also provided more room for Samuel and star tight end George Kittle to operate.

Winning in the trenches

If any franchise lives by the mantra "games are won and lost in the trenches," it's the NFC champions. Few squads field similar skill on the offensive and defensive lines.

The 49ers' O-line surrendered 139 pressures this season, the eighth-fewest in the NFL. McGlinchey and Joe Staley help keep Jimmy Garoppolo clean on the edge, forming one of the league's top tackle tandems. Laken Tomlinson, Mike Person, and Ben Garland (following an injury to Weston Richburg) man the interior and allowed a combined five sacks.

As good as the team's offensive line is at pass-protecting, it's an even better run-blocking unit. San Francisco ranked second while averaging 144.1 rushing yards per game this season. The Niners also accumulated an absurd 471 yards on the ground over two playoff contests, largely due to the gaping holes blockers were opening.

Meanwhile, the front four of Bosa, Ford, Armstead, and DeForest Buckner terrorized opposing offenses all year. The Niners' 48 sacks ranked fifth league-wide, with Armstead (10) and Bosa (nine) leading the way. Bosa, Ford, and Buckner also ranked inside the top 10 at their positions in Pro Football Focus' Pass Rush Productivity metric.

The 49ers have at least four defensive linemen who can beat any blocker on any snap, so it's no wonder the team fielded the NFL's second-ranked defense.

Shanahan and Saleh's brilliance

Shanahan and Saleh were the most impactful head coach and coordinator duo this season. The two consistently put their players in the best positions to succeed, strategically adapting to any scenario. As a result, the team's offense and defense both ranked inside the top eight in points per game, yards per game, and yards per play in 2019.

Shanahan learned his offensive blueprint from his father, former NFL legend Mike Shanahan, along with Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak. His scheme often utilizes pre-snap motion, and it heavily features outside zone runs, with the offensive line taking a lateral first step and attempting to block an area rather than a particular defender.

That approach works best with explosive, one-cut running backs who can identify a gap on the outside shoulder of the tight end and burst through for a big play, and the 49ers have plenty of them. Shanahan's squad is one of the league's top teams on those runs largely due to Kittle being the NFL's premier blocking tight end.

The 40-year-old boss also doesn't demand too much from his quarterback. He asks Garoppolo to make quick reads and put the ball in his playmakers' hands. Garoppolo's average of 2.48 seconds to throw was the fifth quickest in 2019, and his average depth of target (6.5 yards) was second-lowest.

Shanahan is among the league's best at exploiting mismatches too, and he utilizes a unique array of talent, including fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

Saleh, meanwhile, is similarly creative as a defensive play-caller. Evolving from his Cover 3 ideals forged during his time with Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, he disguises coverages and blitzes more frequently than his mentor.

Salah creates space for his edge rushers to attack the quarterback, and he deploys versatile defensive backs and linebackers to roam the second level. The mastermind behind San Francisco's defense revitalized a number of players this season, and he was just as much of a factor in the team's success as the scoring attack.