Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports


2015 San Francisco 49ers Roster Projection

Sep 2, 2015 at 10:03 PM12


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There are a number of 53-man roster projections out there, so why not one more? The San Francisco 49ers have one final exhibition game to play. On Thursday night, the 49ers coaching staff and general manager Trent Baalke will get a final look at their roster as they face the San Diego Chargers at Levi's Stadium. After that, the 49ers will begin to trim their roster down before the 1 PM deadline on Saturday.

Some positions will be tougher to trim than others. Some players will be tougher to part ways with than others. Once the roster is down to 53, it could still change. The team will likely look at other roster casualties and try to shore up a position or two before the regular season kicks off.

A special thanks to 49ers superfan Patrick Tulini for the back-and-forth roster discussion that prompted the completion of this list.

Quarterbacks (2)
Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert

Running Backs (4)
Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Mike Davis, Jarryd Hayne
Notes: Jarryd Hayne will contribute more as a dynamic return man than a running back, where he still has a lot to learn. That makes Kendall Hunter a tough cut and someone that would be nice to keep on the roster.

Fullback (1)
Bruce Miller
Notes: Miller may be facing a short-term league suspension forcing the team to look elsewhere or go without a fullback.

Wide Receivers (5)
Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington, Quinton Patton, DeAndrew White
Notes: Jerome Simpson will start the season with a suspension, opening the door for White.

Tight Ends (4)
Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell
Notes: Four tight ends? The 49ers will likely use two tight end formations and look to them to help block. How is Vance McDonald still on the roster you ask? According to Pro Football Focus, McDonald was the second highest rated blocking tight end in the league last season.

Offensive Line (8)
Joe Staley, Alex Boone, Erik Pears, Joe Looney, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, Trent Brown, Jordan Devey
Notes: This group, perhaps the weakest on the team, may change before the start of the season if the 49ers look to bring in a recent offensive line castoff from another team. If not, then it will change later during the season once Daniel Kilgore returns from the PUP list.

Defensive Line (7)
Glenn Dorsey, Ian Williams, Quinton Dial, Tank Carradine, Arik Armstead, Darnell Dockett, Mike Purcell
Notes: Tony Jerod-Eddie was a tough cut. It's just tough to imagine the 49ers letting go of anyone else on the list. Mike Purcell has surprised in preseason and has good upside. Does Dockett's injury change things for the 11-year veteran? Money aside, the 49ers were pretty careful with him during the offseason to just cut him loose. We shall see.

Inside Linebackers (5)
NaVorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody, Nick Bellore, Shayne Skov
Notes: Skov was so tough to leave off of this list, that he stayed on it. He has shown a lot of promise, aside from some pass defense miscues.

Outside Linebackers (4)
Ahmad Brooks, Aaron Lynch, Eli Harold, Corey Lemonier
Notes: This is assuming that Brooks is available to the 49ers, which he probably will be. Should he be? That is for someone else to decide. His absence would change things a bit.

Cornerbacks (5)
Tramaine Brock, Keith Reaser, Kenneth Acker, Donte Johnson, Shareece Wright
Notes: There is a lot of youth at cornerback and tons of potential. It will be interesting to see if that potential still shows when the games count. The 49ers really need a youngster to step up and surprise within this group.

Safeties (5)
Antoine Bethea, Eric Reid, Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, L.J. McCray

Specialists (3)
Phil Dawson, Bradley Pinion, Kyle Nelson

Who do you think was mistakenly left off the list? Who do you think doesn't belong on the list? Leave a comment below.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


12 Comments

  • Bilal
    Why in the hell did we cut Dockett, I know damn well that not meshing in the locker room is BS, Dockett has been a beast on the field, not the locker room.
    Sep 5, 2015 at 2:40 AM
    0
  • Marie Edwards
    Jermaine Whitehead should definitely be a keeper!!! If not it will be 49ers loss and another team gain .
    Sep 3, 2015 at 3:30 PM
    0
  • juan
    Makes more sense to me than maioco's, then again he's an insider.
    Sep 3, 2015 at 11:10 AM
    0
  • Jon H.
    Great job! Hopefully Marcus Rush makes it to the PS.
    Sep 3, 2015 at 8:30 AM
    0
  • oska italy
    and what about marcus rush? i think he can be great if brooks can't be in the roster...
    Sep 3, 2015 at 4:39 AM
    0
  • Joshua Segura
    This is literally the exact roster I predicted after seeing the first cuts. Good to see we are all on the same page with what the roster should be. If I was Baalke I would bring in Jake Long though. Cut Looney. Bang! Lol
    Sep 3, 2015 at 3:58 AM
    0
  • steve
    Pretty good roster, although I can see the niners picking up an o lineman off waivers and one of our DL (Purcell?) picking up a mysterious injury for designated IR. The tough decision is Bellore or Rush. Bellore adds experience to ST, but I don't think Rush makes it through waivers. Hope Busta makes it to the PS.
    Sep 3, 2015 at 1:45 AM
    0
  • Dr.D
    White has already shown more potential than Patton ever has. Looney fits that same mold of underachievers and I would rather like to see what Silberman can bring to the table in a year or two of proper grooming. Jerod-Eddie is the classic overachiever you want to have on your team. Maybe they can find another injury or two to stash some guys on IR..
    Sep 3, 2015 at 1:05 AM
    0
  • mickyd49er
    I would keep Marcus Rush and Busta Anderson... and release Bellore or Moody, and Wright or Carradine. We will use enough tight ends and need the help on the line (Anderson), and Rush seems like he could be special. The rest looks good to me
    Sep 2, 2015 at 11:48 PM
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  • Nelson Jackson
    Jermaine Whitehead shows potential to become a starting safety in the NFL.
    Sep 2, 2015 at 10:45 PM
    0
  • hector
    What I've seen so far, Tank Carradine is nothing than a failure and keeping him just to compensate his draft status is unbearable. He's not a decent run stopper even a single man can overpower him and the dull technique as pass rusher is getting on my nerves. TJE is far superior than him.
    Sep 2, 2015 at 10:28 PM
    0
  • Jack Stewart
    I can see Marcus (?) Rush making it if Brooks is not back. I don't understand why we wouldn't keep DeAndrew White anyway. Nick Bellore isn't any better than other ILBs we could sign during the season if one of the starters/main backups gets hurt. And White wouldn't last three seconds on the PS.
    Sep 2, 2015 at 10:12 PM
    0
    Response: Agreed, if Brooks is not on the roster, that changes things quite a bit. I also agree that White probably would not last on the practice squad. He may not even last long enough to get there in the first place.

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