My 52 man roster...want your advice for 53

Originally posted by NinerFan408:
drop Flemming, add Dixon. The argument of Dixon vs Hampton isn't who is the better ball carrier, its who is a better special teams player. If any team is down to using their 4th HB more than once, they are in trouble most of the time. If Hampton cannot tackle or pursue as well as Dixon (who also is a special teams leader) he will not supplant Dixon.

Lattimore to the PUP/IR

This pretty much sums it up. Dixon chips in his couple plays a year and plays special teams full time. Plus he backs up at Fullback and HB. Flemming probably doesnt see the field and if we got down to him we would could likely grab a guy off the street thats just as or more capable. Lattimore goes to PUP for roster space, We can review his progress when the deadline to play this year comes along.

First I think Tolzein keeps the #3 QB spot. Also I don't think there's any way we keep seven WR's, but Lockette has a chance to make the team out of camp as the #6 until Manningham is ready to go.

As far as the 53rd man for your roster . . . . it has to be a RB . . . either Dixon or Hampton while Lattimore goes to the PUP.

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
First I think Tolzein keeps the #3 QB spot. Also I don't think there's any way we keep seven WR's, but Lockette has a chance to make the team out of camp as the #6 until Manningham is ready to go.

As far as the 53rd man for your roster . . . . it has to be a RB . . . either Dixon or Hampton while Lattimore goes to the PUP.

Tolzein #2, Colt McCoy continues his journey elsewhere

We all know this is pie in the sky, as injuries in pre season will take out a few of these players. It sucks, but it is what history shows to happen.

I think only carrying 8 OL is risky, assuming you have 2-3 on PS to call up in case of injury??

Some players in the last years of their contracts and getting older, yet not starting probably will be gone.

Dixon, Tukuafu, Dobbs, Jennings, Gulp Manningham (even though I would like to keep him)McCoy

I think or hope Tolzien beats out Colt for the #2 qb job and signs a 4 year extension for 800K a year.

I'll take a stab at it. Guys in bold are locks. Also, the WR corp will get a mix-up when Manningham is at full strength, which I don't expect to be until near mid-season. And I have a surprise roster shake-up at the DB positions.

QB - Kaepernick, McCoy, Tolzien
I think Tolzien's experience in the offense will give him the edge, and he may be the best pocket passer after Kaepernick. McCoy will be learning the offense and getting coached up early on. I think we keep Tolzien around in case something happens to Kap early in the season.

RB - Gore, Hunter, James
No questions here, these 3 are locks. Lattimore will spend the season on IR and could shake up this group in 2014.

FB - Miller, Dixon
Dixon is a compelling choice to keep around. He's our only big back. He backs up at both RB and FB. And he is a stud on special teams. I don't see any other fringe player taking over his job.

TE - V.Davis, MacDonald, Celek
Celek may seem like a lock, because MacDonald isn't a blocking TE. But I could see us keeping an extra OT to develop instead of Celek. He will have to prove himself in camp, but I think he'll get the nod.

WR - Crabtree, Boldin, Patton, Jenkins, Williams, Lockette
A lot of question marks here. Many think Jenkins is a lock, but I think the honeymoon phase is over for him. He will still get special consideration as a 1st round pick in only his 2nd year, but he has to show obvious improvement. Williams also may be a lock as our only experienced punt returner, but Patton also has punt return experience. So that calls into question Williams roster spot. Manningham will likely start the season on PUP, thus opening an opportunity for Lockette. Lockette will have to prove himself to keep a spot on the roster when Manningham returns to full strength.

OL - Staley, Iupati, Boone, A.Davis, Goodwin, Kilgore, Looney, Bykowski
Outside of the 4 locks, I expect intense competition here. Kilgore and Looney will be gunning for Goodwin's spot. Goodwin is in his final year and has a large cap hit. If somebody can match his level of play, he will be cut. For the swing tackle spot, 7th round pick Bykowski will get competition from Al Netter who has similar physical traits and the experience of being on the practice squad for a year. Bykowski will not get any special consideration as a 7th round pick. He will have to win the job outright.

SP - Lee, Dawson, Jennings
No questions here.

DL - J.Smith, Dorsey, MacDonald, Carradine, Williams, Dial, Tukuafu
I think Dobbs is the odd man out here if we keep 7. If only 6, Tukuafu will be gone too. Dial has better size and upside than both and Williams just signed a $1M extension.

LB - Brooks, Willis, Bowman, A.Smith, Lemonier, Haralson, Scuta, Moody
Starters are all-pros and are locks. Lemonier is a very talented 3rd round pick and is a lock. Haralson took a pay cut and is the only OLB with NFL experience. I highly doubt Fleming or Cam Johnson will be able to kick Haralson off the roster. Scuta and Moody are both special teams guys who will backup at ILB. Normally, I wouldn't keep 8 LBs on the roster. But our special teams sucked last year. IMO, Fleming's best chance of making the roster will be to move to ILB. If he can show that he can backup at both ILB and OLB and play special teams, he may get the nod over Scuta or Moody.

CB - Brown, Rogers, Culliver, Asomugha, Cox, Daryl Morris
Every year there is a surprise in how the final 53 man roster shakes out. With Brown and Asomugha not under contract beyond this year and Rogers declining play and huge cap hit next year, I think we keep a promising 6th CB instead of a 5th safety. Culliver and Asomugha have experience playing safety and could backup there in a pinch. Daryl Morris is an undrafted FA signing with great speed and ball skills. I'm hoping he shows promise covering the slot and makes the roster on that basis.

S - Reid, Robinson, Dahl, Spillman
I see Reid as the only lock here. Whitner was terrible in coverage last year and would provide lots of cap relief if cut. Robinson is great in coverage. While he lacks the size to be a big hitting safety, that type of player is not really what we need. We need smart guys that stick to their assignments, play the ball, and defend the deep pass. Robinson can do that. Meanwhile, Dahl and Spillman are experienced backups.

Originally posted by Montana1977:
I believe Harbaugh might think Daniels can take out Tolzien and Dixon. He might be able to fill two roles on the roster,3rd string QB and RB/FB and special teams contribution.(Kinda like M.Robinson,wish we still had him)

M Robinson is a good teammate and locker room guy but is not a great blocker nor powerful runner. I've seen him play with the Seahawks the past few years and the guy still can't pick up those 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1 first downs.

Dixon is a very good special teams player and showed this past season he can be a decent short yardage back too. Those traits are pretty valuable. Unless someone comes along who can do those things better than he can, he makes the team.

Originally posted by blm7754:
I'll take a stab at it. Guys in bold are locks. Also, the WR corp will get a mix-up when Manningham is at full strength, which I don't expect to be until near mid-season. And I have a surprise roster shake-up at the DB positions.

QB - Kaepernick, McCoy, Tolzien
I think Tolzien's experience in the offense will give him the edge, and he may be the best pocket passer after Kaepernick. McCoy will be learning the offense and getting coached up early on. I think we keep Tolzien around in case something happens to Kap early in the season.

RB - Gore, Hunter, James
No questions here, these 3 are locks. Lattimore will spend the season on IR and could shake up this group in 2014.

FB - Miller, Dixon
Dixon is a compelling choice to keep around. He's our only big back. He backs up at both RB and FB. And he is a stud on special teams. I don't see any other fringe player taking over his job.

TE - V.Davis, MacDonald, Celek
Celek may seem like a lock, because MacDonald isn't a blocking TE. But I could see us keeping an extra OT to develop instead of Celek. He will have to prove himself in camp, but I think he'll get the nod.

WR - Crabtree, Boldin, Patton, Jenkins, Williams, Lockette
A lot of question marks here. Many think Jenkins is a lock, but I think the honeymoon phase is over for him. He will still get special consideration as a 1st round pick in only his 2nd year, but he has to show obvious improvement. Williams also may be a lock as our only experienced punt returner, but Patton also has punt return experience. So that calls into question Williams roster spot. Manningham will likely start the season on PUP, thus opening an opportunity for Lockette. Lockette will have to prove himself to keep a spot on the roster when Manningham returns to full strength.

OL - Staley, Iupati, Boone, A.Davis, Goodwin, Kilgore, Looney, Bykowski
Outside of the 4 locks, I expect intense competition here. Kilgore and Looney will be gunning for Goodwin's spot. Goodwin is in his final year and has a large cap hit. If somebody can match his level of play, he will be cut. For the swing tackle spot, 7th round pick Bykowski will get competition from Al Netter who has similar physical traits and the experience of being on the practice squad for a year. Bykowski will not get any special consideration as a 7th round pick. He will have to win the job outright.

SP - Lee, Dawson, Jennings
No questions here.

DL - J.Smith, Dorsey, MacDonald, Carradine, Williams, Dial, Tukuafu
I think Dobbs is the odd man out here if we keep 7. If only 6, Tukuafu will be gone too. Dial has better size and upside than both and Williams just signed a $1M extension.

LB - Brooks, Willis, Bowman, A.Smith, Lemonier, Haralson, Scuta, Moody
Starters are all-pros and are locks. Lemonier is a very talented 3rd round pick and is a lock. Haralson took a pay cut and is the only OLB with NFL experience. I highly doubt Fleming or Cam Johnson will be able to kick Haralson off the roster. Scuta and Moody are both special teams guys who will backup at ILB. Normally, I wouldn't keep 8 LBs on the roster. But our special teams sucked last year. IMO, Fleming's best chance of making the roster will be to move to ILB. If he can show that he can backup at both ILB and OLB and play special teams, he may get the nod over Scuta or Moody.

CB - Brown, Rogers, Culliver, Asomugha, Cox, Daryl Morris
Every year there is a surprise in how the final 53 man roster shakes out. With Brown and Asomugha not under contract beyond this year and Rogers declining play and huge cap hit next year, I think we keep a promising 6th CB instead of a 5th safety. Culliver and Asomugha have experience playing safety and could backup there in a pinch. Daryl Morris is an undrafted FA signing with great speed and ball skills. I'm hoping he shows promise covering the slot and makes the roster on that basis.

S - Reid, Robinson, Dahl, Spillman
I see Reid as the only lock here. Whitner was terrible in coverage last year and would provide lots of cap relief if cut. Robinson is great in coverage. While he lacks the size to be a big hitting safety, that type of player is not really what we need. We need smart guys that stick to their assignments, play the ball, and defend the deep pass. Robinson can do that. Meanwhile, Dahl and Spillman are experienced backups.

Excellent post...well thought-out and you provide good evidence for all of your points. I agree in general with your comments regarding the positions of QB, RB, FB, WR, TE, OL, DL, and ST.

At WR, unlike many Zoners, I agree with you that Manningham opens the season on PUP (and maybe even IR). That was a serious injury he had late last year. Because of his likely absence, Jenkins is probably a lock now. Also, other than K Williams, the Niners don't have a lot of legitimate options for punt returner, so I think he likely makes the team too.

At LB, I think that Fleming has a better chance of making the team than many think....because of his versatility. Since he was drafted, he has added 10 lbs. of muscle (and now weighs 255), so now, he can play both ILB and OLB. He is also faster and a better pass rusher that either Haralson or Skuta. Cam Johnson, who is now healthy and has potential as a pass rusher, is a good candidate for the PS.

At DB, I love your logic for keeping 6 CBs and only 4 safeties. Very sound argument. However, I wonder whether Morris will actually make the team out of TC (even though I would love to see the Niners carry a slot cover guy). Morris can return punts though so you never know. I just think both he and Cooper need to add some muscle before either is ready for prime time so I see them both as PS players...at least when the season opens.

I see DT Okoye (and/or Purcell) , OT Marquardt (and/or Bykowski), RB Hampton (and/or Harper), OL Omameh (and/or S Carter), WR Jacobs (who may surprise because he can return punts) and QB B.J. Daniels as potential PS candidates as well...but not making the team out of TC.

Would be curious to see your PS list... Again, great post blm7754

Nice post, blm.

I have to seeeee that McCoy is better than Tolzien. Tolzien has been lights-out.

Marquardt and Okoye ... I hope make ... more than predict. Who knows.

I don't see Jennings as a lock.

I am going to cry when we cut some of these guys and they do well on other teams. Niners cuts/rejected becomes farm system for rest of league.

Look how other teams snapped up any FA Niner. Goldson, Walker, Soapoaga, Francois - All got way-way more than we would have given.

I think Tukuafu makes it over a couple of those rookie/sophmore players

Originally posted by dhp318:
I don't see Jennings as a lock.

why do people want to get rid of the best LS in the game? can you remember the last time he messed up a snap?

Originally posted by blm7754:
I'll take a stab at it. Guys in bold are locks. Also, the WR corp will get a mix-up when Manningham is at full strength, which I don't expect to be until near mid-season. And I have a surprise roster shake-up at the DB positions.

QB - Kaepernick, McCoy, Tolzien
I think Tolzien's experience in the offense will give him the edge, and he may be the best pocket passer after Kaepernick. McCoy will be learning the offense and getting coached up early on. I think we keep Tolzien around in case something happens to Kap early in the season.

RB - Gore, Hunter, James
No questions here, these 3 are locks. Lattimore will spend the season on IR and could shake up this group in 2014.

FB - Miller, Dixon
Dixon is a compelling choice to keep around. He's our only big back. He backs up at both RB and FB. And he is a stud on special teams. I don't see any other fringe player taking over his job.

TE - V.Davis, MacDonald, Celek
Celek may seem like a lock, because MacDonald isn't a blocking TE. But I could see us keeping an extra OT to develop instead of Celek. He will have to prove himself in camp, but I think he'll get the nod.

WR - Crabtree, Boldin, Patton, Jenkins, Williams, Lockette
A lot of question marks here. Many think Jenkins is a lock, but I think the honeymoon phase is over for him. He will still get special consideration as a 1st round pick in only his 2nd year, but he has to show obvious improvement. Williams also may be a lock as our only experienced punt returner, but Patton also has punt return experience. So that calls into question Williams roster spot. Manningham will likely start the season on PUP, thus opening an opportunity for Lockette. Lockette will have to prove himself to keep a spot on the roster when Manningham returns to full strength.

OL - Staley, Iupati, Boone, A.Davis, Goodwin, Kilgore, Looney, Bykowski
Outside of the 4 locks, I expect intense competition here. Kilgore and Looney will be gunning for Goodwin's spot. Goodwin is in his final year and has a large cap hit. If somebody can match his level of play, he will be cut. For the swing tackle spot, 7th round pick Bykowski will get competition from Al Netter who has similar physical traits and the experience of being on the practice squad for a year. Bykowski will not get any special consideration as a 7th round pick. He will have to win the job outright.

SP - Lee, Dawson, Jennings
No questions here.

DL - J.Smith, Dorsey, MacDonald, Carradine, Williams, Dial, Tukuafu
I think Dobbs is the odd man out here if we keep 7. If only 6, Tukuafu will be gone too. Dial has better size and upside than both and Williams just signed a $1M extension.

LB - Brooks, Willis, Bowman, A.Smith, Lemonier, Haralson, Scuta, Moody
Starters are all-pros and are locks. Lemonier is a very talented 3rd round pick and is a lock. Haralson took a pay cut and is the only OLB with NFL experience. I highly doubt Fleming or Cam Johnson will be able to kick Haralson off the roster. Scuta and Moody are both special teams guys who will backup at ILB. Normally, I wouldn't keep 8 LBs on the roster. But our special teams sucked last year. IMO, Fleming's best chance of making the roster will be to move to ILB. If he can show that he can backup at both ILB and OLB and play special teams, he may get the nod over Scuta or Moody.

CB - Brown, Rogers, Culliver, Asomugha, Cox, Daryl Morris
Every year there is a surprise in how the final 53 man roster shakes out. With Brown and Asomugha not under contract beyond this year and Rogers declining play and huge cap hit next year, I think we keep a promising 6th CB instead of a 5th safety. Culliver and Asomugha have experience playing safety and could backup there in a pinch. Daryl Morris is an undrafted FA signing with great speed and ball skills. I'm hoping he shows promise covering the slot and makes the roster on that basis.

S - Reid, Robinson, Dahl, Spillman
I see Reid as the only lock here. Whitner was terrible in coverage last year and would provide lots of cap relief if cut. Robinson is great in coverage. While he lacks the size to be a big hitting safety, that type of player is not really what we need. We need smart guys that stick to their assignments, play the ball, and defend the deep pass. Robinson can do that. Meanwhile, Dahl and Spillman are experienced backups.

This all looks good, besides a few things.

The 49ers haven't shown anything towards cutting players, so I highly doubt Whitner gets the Axe, he is still a good SS, and is better than Dahl, Spillman and Robnson combined right now. Those 3 are STs.

Also Dixon isn't a lock, I can see him left off for an extra OL, which could used better than a RB who's only good thing is STs.

Also word of advice I dont get why Maiocco has Jenkins as not a lock, his deal is guaranteed for years 1-3, and only a little is unguaranteed in 2015. Jenkins is a lock unless a somewhat surprising trade happens, in which we get a 7th at best.