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The San Francisco 49ers own what many expect to be a talented roster for the upcoming season. Of course, that depends on the depth chart not being impacted by the poor injury luck the team endured in 2020.
"Assuming everyone stays healthy this year, the 49ers have one of the league's more complete rosters, with no obvious weakness on offense or defense,"
wrote Vincent Verhei of Football Outsiders in a feature for ESPN.
No roster is perfect, though. If you look hard enough, you can always find a weakness. Where would you say that weakness lies with the 49ers? Perhaps the depth at cornerback? Maybe somewhere along the offensive line? Maybe the reserve linebackers? The answer isn't entirely obvious, which is a sign of a talented roster.
Verhei took on the task of identifying holes for all 32 NFL teams following the 2021 NFL Draft and believes he found one for the Niners — edge rusher.
But San Francisco is getting back its young star pass rusher,
Nick Bosa, whose 2020 season ended in Week 2 after suffering a torn ACL. The team hopes to finally get back Dee Ford, too, after the veteran pass rusher was limited to one game last season due to neck and back injuries.
Bosa and Ford could make a formidable duo on defense — assuming everyone is healthy. Therein lies the problem. Can an injury-free campaign be depended on?
"Nick Bosa was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 when he had 9.0 sacks in the regular season and 4.0 more in the playoffs," explained Verhei, "but he missed 14 games in 2020 after tearing his ACL. It's a similar story for Dee Ford -- he had 6.5 sacks (in only 11 games) in the Super Bowl year but missed 15 games in 2020 with a back injury.
Arik Armstead has topped 3.5 sacks only once in his six NFL seasons."
Armstead had a team-leading 10 sacks in 2019, but the production regressed last year after San Francisco inked the defensive lineman to a lucrative long-term contract.
Obviously, you can't just assume that Bosa and Ford will return to form. Nor can you assume that each will last the entire 17-game campaign. Ford has dealt with injuries in each of his two seasons with the 49ers.
San Francisco brought in former Los Angeles Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam. However, Verhei notes that the defender will serve as more of a complementary pass-rushing piece and has never surpassed 4.5 sacks in a season. Although, he reached that mark in each of his two past seasons.
Ebukam hopes to show 49ers fans that he is capable of much more than what was on display during his first four NFL seasons with the division rival.
"I want to show exactly what I've got because I didn't really get to showcase everything that I had (while) with the Rams,"
Ebukam told 49ers.com in March. "Right here, I feel like there's definitely a better opportunity for me to showcase that."
As for the rest of the 49ers pass-rushing options, Verhei adds: "Only two other edge rushers on the roster have ever sacked a quarterback in the NFL: Jordan Willis has 5.5 sacks in five years with the Bengals, Jets and 49ers, while Arden Key had 3.0 in three years with the Raiders."
With the NFL Draft just two weeks away, the San Francisco 49ers hosted their annual local pro day at Levi's Stadium. The event showcased 44 players, including four veterans, all vying to impress coaches and team decision-makers and earn a roster spot. The 49ers have 10 selections in the upcoming draft.
NFL local pro days provide draft prospects with ties to the local area an opportunity to showcase their talents to team personnel. These prospects typically hail from nearby colleges or have other connections to the region where the team is based.
Terrell's Son Seeks an Opportunity
Hall of
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
