49ers 53-man roster projection: Which draftees and running backs will make the cut?
The team-building portion of the offseason is over following March’s free agent spree and last week’s NFL draft. The battles for roster spots are starting to crystallize a week ahead of the offseason program with rookie minicamp beginning May 14.
Which makes now a perfect time for another 53-man roster projection. Let the speculative forecasting begin!
(*denotes rookie)
Quarterback (3)
Jimmy Garoppolo
Trey Lance*
Nate Sudfeld
What about Josh Rosen and Josh Johnson? Consider: The 49ers added the two Joshs late in 2020 when Garoppolo and Nick Mullens were down with injuries. This offseason, with Garoppolo healthy and the team ready to draft a quarterback with the third pick, the team signed Sudfeld after working with quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello in Philadelphia. That indicates Sudfeld has the best chance at earning the third-string job, assuming the 49ers keep three quarterbacks on the roster.
Running back (5)
Kyle Juszczyk (FB)
Raheem Mostert
Trey Sermon*
Jeff Wilson Jr.
Elijah Mitchell*
JaMycal Hasty became a cult favorite last season, but he’s on the wrong side of the Sermon and Mitchell additions through the draft. Shanahan clearly wanted to fortify the running back group that struggled badly when Mostert and Wilson were down last season with high ankle sprains. Sermon has the skill set to be a quality starter while Mitchell offers similar upside to a former Shanahan back, Matt Breida. What about Wayne Gallman Jr., the free agent who signed last month? He has some steep competition but could make the team if there’s an injury.
Receiver (6)
Deebo Samuel
Brandon Aiyuk
Richie James Jr.
Jalen Hurd
Trent Sherfield
Austin Watkins*
Samuel and Aiyuk are young, quality starters. But the rest of this group is a question mark. We went with Sherfield for his work on special teams and Watkins for the upside. The undrafted rookie is similar to free agent departure Kendrick Bourne in that he offers size (6-2, 207) and the knack for making plays in the middle of the field through traffic. James is the favorite to play in the slot and return punts, a role he’s had comfortably for three seasons. Hurd has Chase Claypool-like upside but still hasn’t appeared in a game since getting drafted a round after Samuel in 2019. On the outside looking in: Mohamed Sanu, Travis Benjamin, Jauan Jennings, River Cracraft, Kevin White and Austin Proehl. Competition should be heated to round out the depth chart with nine guys potentially battling for three spots.
Tight end (3)
George Kittle
Ross Dwelley
Charlie Woerner
There’s still no ironclad insurance policy for Kittle, who missed eight games last season with a knee sprain and fractured foot. But the 49ers seem happy with Dwelley as a primary backup and Woerner as the No. 3 blocking option. Those two combined for 22 catches last season and would need to take big steps to become viable threats in the passing game should Kittle miss more time. Jordan Reed retired, so he won’t be an option to complement Kittle and offer another big body in the red zone. San Francisco badly needs Kittle to stay healthy.
Offensive line (9)
Trent Williams
Laken Tomlinson
Alex Mack
Aaron Banks*
Mike McGlinchey
Jaylon Moore*
Daniel Brunskill
Colton McKivitz
Justin Skule
The 49ers made a big effort to fortify the offensive line during this offseason. Bringing in Mack and Banks should go a long way toward solving the past issues at center and right guard. And re-signing Williams was the domino that led to being able to make the trade for Lance. Brunskill can move back into his utility role while Moore could push Skule and McKivitz for the swing tackle job. The additions mean the team should have more depth in case of injuries. If healthy, this group could be one of the five best in the league.
Linebacker (4)
Fred Warner
Dre Greenlaw
Azeez Al-Shaair
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Linebacker gets just four in this exercise due to numbers at other positions (like quarterback, offensive line and defensive line). There’s also a rookie safety who could play linebacker in a pinch (spoiler alert!). We’re going with four because the defense will likely have two on the field most of the time with Al-Shaair working as a strong-side linebacker in running downs. Flannigan-Fowles is an intriguing developmental player who should be a stalwart on special teams. It’s worth noting two of the four undrafted rookies the team signed are linebackers, Ohio State’s Justin Hilliard and Kansas State’s Elijah Sullivan.
Defensive line (10)
Nick Bosa
Arik Armstead
Javon Kinlaw
Dee Ford
Samson Ebukam
D.J. Jones
Zach Kerr
Kentavius Street
Kevin Givens
Jordan Willis
It’s unclear if Ford is going to be healthy enough to play after missing 15 games last season with a back injury. Bosa is coming back from a torn ACL and Ebukam is converting from a part-time outside linebacker to prominent defensive end role (assuming Ford gets worked back in slowly, if at all). Which makes the 49ers’ decision not to draft an edge rusher an interesting one. Perhaps they dip into the free agent pool with a veteran such as Melvin Ingram, Ryan Kerrigan or Justin Houston. That might be a better option than asking Armstead to play outside while he’s clearly better at getting after quarterbacks from the interior. Arden Key and Maurice Hurst, a pair of former Raiders, will be in the mix here, but it’s hard to give them the nod over players that have been around longer or were made higher priorities (like Jones, Kerr and Willis).
Cornerback (6)
Jason Verrett
Emmanuel Moseley
K’Waun Williams
Ambry Thomas*
Deommodore Lenoir*
Ken Webster
Richard Sherman remains in the mix. He’s had preliminary conversations with San Francisco about returning for a fourth season, but nothing is imminent. Until then, we gave the nod to the rookies Thomas and Lenoir over incumbents like Tim Harris (who might need more time on the practice squad) and Dontae Johnson, who has been around forever. Webster is a favorite of special teams coach Richard Hightower and could round out the group for his work in the third phase. The team would love for Thomas to win a starting job early in his career to justify drafting him in Round 3 after opting out of last season and only starting for one year at Michigan.
Safety (4)
Jimmie Ward
Jaquiski Tartt
Tarvarius Moore
Talanoa Hufanga*
Hufanga might be the most intriguing pick in Round 5. He’s either too slow to play safety, too small to play linebacker or versatile enough to earn a key role near the line of scrimmage with some development (yes, he’s the guy we mentioned as a linebacker candidate earlier). Expect him to stand out on special teams from the jump while Ward, Tartt and Moore serve as a capable safety trio that could be on the field together frequently on third and long.
Specialists (3)
Robbie Gould (K)
Mitch Wishnowsky (P)
Taybor Pepper (LS)
The 49ers, at the moment, don’t have any camp legs at punter or kicker, and Pepper is the only long snapper on the roster. So, yes, I’m feeling great about predicting these three to make the cut.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
