Pre-Camp 53 Roster Prediction

You are a brave soul, I am not. To be a 49er fan in the windy season is reason #1. To pick the last 5 cuts takes even more courage.

I can't make the last 10 cuts.

But, I do see Hyde being in uniform. Just don't make me tell you who then won't dress, instead of him.

Is Moody practice squad eligible?

osgood is gone with costanzo back

Osgood is going to have to fight for his life against the younger Blake Costanzo now.

I think if Ian Williams starts on the PUP -- which seems plausible given how many surgeries he's had on that ankle and that he's still recovering -- a DL spot or other general roster spot may open up for someone else.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
Osgood is going to have to fight for his life against the younger Blake Costanzo now.

I think if Ian Williams starts on the PUP -- which seems plausible given how many surgeries he's had on that ankle and that he's still recovering -- a DL spot or other general roster spot may open up for someone else.

Tough calls huh? You want to keep your top notch ST players as we've found the past three years, it's often times the difference in the end. I'm sure ideally, you'd like to keep your best or second best gunner in Osgood b/c he also adds depth at WR in case we get into a pinch again (like last year). Dahl? He's probably gone but similar situation. Ventrone adds nothing but ST realistically. Costanzo is a great ST player but is he really a quality backup at ILB? Then flip over to the "skill positions" and look at Lloyd who's older and adds zero ST ability and not in anyone's long term plans. There is a few of these guys as well. I'm so glad I don't have to make these decisions!

heres my prediction, okoye somehow makes it on the PS so it keeps his thread kicking around for another year. we all know its a cute feel good story that wont amount to much at all.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Osgood is going to have to fight for his life against the younger Blake Costanzo now.

I think if Ian Williams starts on the PUP -- which seems plausible given how many surgeries he's had on that ankle and that he's still recovering -- a DL spot or other general roster spot may open up for someone else.

Tough calls huh? You want to keep your top notch ST players as we've found the past three years, it's often times the difference in the end. I'm sure ideally, you'd like to keep your best or second best gunner in Osgood b/c he also adds depth at WR in case we get into a pinch again (like last year). Dahl? He's probably gone but similar situation. Ventrone adds nothing but ST realistically. Costanzo is a great ST player but is he really a quality backup at ILB? Then flip over to the "skill positions" and look at Lloyd who's older and adds zero ST ability and not in anyone's long term plans. There is a few of these guys as well. I'm so glad I don't have to make these decisions!

Isn't Dahl our best backup safety?

Originally posted by Wisconsin49erfan:

Isn't Dahl our best backup safety?

He stepped in for Reid last year which is why I'm surprised many think he is a guaranteed cut. I think the Costanzo signing is worse for ventrone than Osgood, but we will see.

Originally posted by Wisconsin49erfan:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
Osgood is going to have to fight for his life against the younger Blake Costanzo now.

I think if Ian Williams starts on the PUP -- which seems plausible given how many surgeries he's had on that ankle and that he's still recovering -- a DL spot or other general roster spot may open up for someone else.

Tough calls huh? You want to keep your top notch ST players as we've found the past three years, it's often times the difference in the end. I'm sure ideally, you'd like to keep your best or second best gunner in Osgood b/c he also adds depth at WR in case we get into a pinch again (like last year). Dahl? He's probably gone but similar situation. Ventrone adds nothing but ST realistically. Costanzo is a great ST player but is he really a quality backup at ILB? Then flip over to the "skill positions" and look at Lloyd who's older and adds zero ST ability and not in anyone's long term plans. There is a few of these guys as well. I'm so glad I don't have to make these decisions!

Isn't Dahl our best backup safety?

He is but he costs a lot and we could always move back Jimmie Ward there and others such as Dontae Johnson can play there along with LJ McCray (all cheaper, with true upside and all play ST including experience with return duties).

I would be shocked if Ventrone made the team

Originally posted by Frisco69ers:

I would be shocked if Ventrone made the team

odds are against old bubba right about now ....even if he don't make the team, someone will pick him up right away, always work in the NFL for special teams bad asses

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
QB: Kap, Gabbert
RB: Gore, Hunter, Lattimore, Hyde, Miller (FB)
WR: Crabby, Boldin, Johnson, Patton, Ellington, Osgood
TE: Davis, McDonald, Cleveland
OL: Staley, Iupati, Kilgore, Boone, Davis, JMartin, Looney, MMartin, Snyder

DL: JSmith, Dorsey, McDonald, Carradine, IWilliams, TJE
ILB: Willis, Wilhoite, Moody, Borland
OLB: Smith, Brooks, Lemonier, Lynch, Skuta
CB: Culliver, Brock, Ward, Wright, DJohnson
S: Reid, Bethea, Spillman, Dahl, Ventrone

K: Dawson
P: Lee
LS: McDermott

* QB Kory Faulkner, DL Dial, CB Acker, CB Morris, T Marquardt, G Seymour, DL Ramsey, DL Okoye to the practice squad
* Bowman, Thomas, Reaser, Millard on the PuP
* James traded/released

I agree with the above, however, one thing I see differently is Osgood making it over Lloyd, I think Lloyd offers (in my two cents, may be worth only 1 cent, lol) I think he offers way more in the line of straight WR play, being able to catch the ball and so on and I think that would be more of what the 9ers need. As far as Osgood value on special teams, I don't see him as fitting into the return man role, and if Ellington proves that he can play that position over LMJ, I see this taking away from Osgood. I see on offense and am agreeing with many posters that Gore could potentially be the backup by seasons end, but I think Hyde will see significant playing time and will become a starter. I feel also, kinda a potential of a Wendle Tyler/Roger Craig kind of backfield potential. Wild prediction, two thousand yard backs, the new thunder and lightning for now.

On defense, I can see Culliver being replaced by Ward, and then next year the 9ers drafting another CB and switching Ward to safety, kind of like Merton Hanks when he first came into the league as a LCB, the following year he was switched to SS and then to FS, but a faster version. I think though, this could be a dominant unit this up coming year, if things fall into place.

In many if not most of the preceding posts, observation based on OTAs is not reflected in two players particularly. Chris Cook has be on the first team while Culliver is out. Therefore, the coaches are saying that Cook is the first back up and the third least likely to be cut. Almost no poster has him even making the cut. The other player is Lloyd. According to several observers, he's performing the best on the field, better even than Boldin and Crabtree and Johnson. Yet many if most vehemently deny his making the cut.

Originally posted by Paul_Hofer:
In many if not most of the preceding posts, observation based on OTAs is not reflected in two players particularly. Chris Cook has be on the first team while Culliver is out. Therefore, the coaches are saying that Cook is the first back up and the third least likely to be cut. Almost no poster has him even making the cut. The other player is Lloyd. According to several observers, he's performing the best on the field, better even than Boldin and Crabtree and Johnson. Yet many if most vehemently deny his making the cut.

I didn't know about the cook details, wow, he could be a starter....The 9ers have so many players right now, degunit Harbaugh and Baalke, they're making it hard to follow my team, lol. That's definitely one player that I overlooked, lol.

Here's my best guess.

QB (3)
Kaepernick
Gabbert
Johnson

RB (4)
Gore
Hyde
Lattimore
Hunter

FB (1)
Miller

TE (2)
VD
McDonald

WR (6)
Crabtree
Boldin
Johnson
Lloyd
Patton
Ellington (also doubles as KR/PR)

OL (8)
Staley
Iupati
Kilgore
Boone
A.Davis
J.Martin
M.Martin

Total offense: 24

Specialists (3)
Lee
Dawson
McDermott

DL (7)
J.Smith
R.McDonald
Dorsey
I.Williams
Carradine
TJE
Dial

OLB (5)
A.Smith
Brooks
Lemonier
Skuta
Lynch

ILB (4)
Willis
Borland
Wilholte
Bowman (PUP0
Skov (on roster then to PS when Bowman returns)

CB (6)
Brock
Culliver
Ward (nickle starter, also provides extra safety depth)
Wright
D.Johnson
Morris

S (4)
Reid
Bethea
Spillman
Dahl

Total Defense: 26

Trade: LMJ for a 6th or 7th round pick in the 2015 draft, not bothering predicting who he goes 2, likely some team that loses a RB or a return man to an injury in camp. I would like to see LMJ stick around, I think we misused him on offense (by not using him essentially) but I just don't see us suddenly changing and utilizing his skills, especially since we're adding Hyde and Lattimore to the mix this year.

IR
Millard
B.Thomas
Keith Reaser

PS
Faulker QB
Lawrence Okoye DL
Kenneth Acker CB
DJ Campbell S
Cleveland TE
Carrier TE (I think he's PS eligible but I'm not positive)
Ramsey DL
some random WR who can return kicks also

Key vets Cut: Joe Looney and Adam Snyder given our depth on the OL, especially the interior, I see no room for these 2.
P.Cox, I think the organization is higher on Wright and he def has a higher ceiling, with Wright, Morris and of course Ward here for the slot and Culliver back along with D.Johnson (who I think will be better than most think) on the outside, no room for Cox.
Ventrone/Osgood, no room for all these veteran ST only type guys, we keep a few but I see the young players taking these guys spots this year. We drafted some good ST players and we're extremely deep at WR & we need guys who can actually play safety behind our starters making these 2 expendable.
Dobbs becomes a victim of possibly the deepest DL in the NFL now that Carradine, Dial and I. Williams are healthy.

Final Thoughts: MAN. This is HARD to do, anybody that thinks this team isn't ridiculously deep, I suggest you go through this exercise. I think we're definetely going to see some surprises this year which are difficult to project thus my absence of actually predicting anything Earth shattering. Of our 12 draft picks, I have 3 on IR and 2 on the PS with 7 making the team. As I mentioned above, the roster is just incredibly deep and I think some of the rookies and other young players are going to be very good ST contributors also (examples: Ellington, Borland, Skov, Lynch, D.Johnson, Ward and maybe even Hyde) and keeping around a bunch of veteran ST only players isn't going to be easy and I don't think it will happen. I have to admit, I thought we would end up keeping most of those guys before going through this exercise, I just don't see this organization cutting young players for those guys, especially when, as mentioned before, I think those young players can and will do well on teams while also developing at "regular" positions.