No Huddle: 49ers-Cardinals Preview With Steph Sanchez →
Photo by Kelley L Cox of USA Today Sports

Photo by Kelley L Cox of USA Today Sports


How the 49ers starting roster was built: Free agency versus the NFL Draft

Mar 6, 2014 at 2:22 PM2


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The official San Francisco 49ers site published an interesting article yesterday. It showed how the current 49ers roster was built and broke it down by draft picks versus free agent signings. The number of draftees versus free agency signees on the team was nearly even. In fact, free agents only outnumbered draft picks by one. Below is the final breakdown of the team's 2013 roster.

30 free agents
29 draftees
3 trades
2 waiver claims

This shows that, when it comes to building the 49ers roster, free agency is just as important as draft selections. Or is it? The article takes the entire roster into account. However, that may not be the case on the offensive side of the ball when you only look at the best players on the roster, represented by the team's starters. The team's starting offense shows a very different picture.

2013 Starting Offense

QB - Colin Kaepernick - 2011 NFL Draft
RB - Frank Gore - 2005 NFL Draft
FB - Bruce Miller - 2011 NFL Draft
WR - Michael Crabtree - 2011 NFL Draft
WR - Anquan Boldin - 2013 Trade
TE - Vernon Davis - 2006 NFL Draft
LT - Joe Staley - 2007 NFL Draft
LG - Mike Iupati - 2010 NFL Draft
C - Jonathan Goodwin - 2011 Free Agency
RG - Alex Boone - 2009 Undrafted Free Agent
RT - Anthony Davis - 2010 NFL Draft

Eight of the eleven starters on offense were acquired via the NFL Draft. Those players are shown in bold. Only two players were acquired via free agency. Boldin is the lone player acquired via a trade. The 49ers have built this starting offense via the draft and we can assume that trend will continue as the new league year and free agency begins on Tuesday. In recent years, the 49ers have not been big spenders in free agency. Instead, they let the initial days of chaos pass and allow the players demanding the highest prices fall of the board and then try to find bargains that can fill spots on the roster or add depth. The team's future is acquired via the NFL Draft.

2013 Starting Defense

DT - Ray McDonald - 2007 NFL Draft
DT - Justin Smith - 2008 Free Agency
NT - Glenn Dorsey - 2013 Free Agency
OLB - Aldon Smith - 2011 NFL Draft
MLB - NaVorro Bowman - 2010 NFL Draft
MLB - Patrick Willis - 2007 NFL Draft
OLB - Ahmad Brooks - 2008 Waivers
CB - Carlos Rogers - 2011 Free Agency
CB - Tarell Brown - 2007 NFL Draft
SS - Donte Whitner - 2011 Free Agency
FS - Eric Reid - 2013 NFL Draft

Among the starting defense, the breakdown is a little more even. Only six of the eleven starters were acquired via the NFL Draft. Free agent acquisitions have shown enough on defense to become starters and contribute. Ahmad Brooks, acquired off of waivers from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008, signed a six-year $44.5 million contract extension in 2012. The team has done everything they can to make sure Justin Smith, acquired in 2008 via free agency, retires in red and gold. Smith signed a two-year extension back in June of 2013.

Even the team's punter, Andy Lee, who is one of the best in the league, was a selection from the 2004 NFL Draft.

This may not have been the intention when the 49ers signed free agents or drafted players, but this was the result, which shows that they know what they are doing in both departments. Obviously the team wants to create competition and allow the best player to start. The draft selections, at least on offense, have faired much better than the free agents. Sure there have been players like AJ Jenkins, a top draft pick that did not pan out, but there have also been players like Bruce Miller, low round selections that have contributed.

The 49ers are also more willing to let drafted players walk when their price tag shadows their value to the team. That was the case last year with Dashon Goldson. His perceived value was much higher than his actual value to the team so they let him sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and drafted his replacement. That replacement was Eric Reid, who made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. The same will likely happen with Tarell Brown, who has been a solid contributor but is considered to be one of the top corners to hit free agency this year. As a rule, the 49ers generally will not get into a bidding war with other teams.

In 2011, the team signed Carlos Rogers in free agency, but only after the top players at cornerback were signed to bigger contracts by other teams.

As free agency quickly approaches, don't expect the 49ers to be big spenders on big name players, especially on offense. They may plug in some role players here and there, but they rarely land the top tier free agents. Expect them to sit back and let the dust of the first day or two settle before they start getting a little more aggressive. The team is less likely to get into future salary cap trouble if they avoid overspending on overvalued players. That strategy has worked for the team, who has appeared in the past three NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl.

Contract negotiations with upcoming free agents can begin on Saturday, March 8. Free agency, the first day that players can sign those contracts, begins on Tuesday, March 11.
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.


2 Comments

  • Matt
    Every year during the off season the casual fans want the 49ers to go out and sign all the big dollar free agents without taking into account the salary cap or the current roster. If more of them would read this article we would have a lot less whining! :-) Interestingly, the only free agent on the starting roster that came to the team on a big dollar contract was Justin Smith. The rest of the free agent starters were all acquired on smaller and/or shorter term deals. I think that shows that the way to build a team is to try to get your best players through the draft, then fill in the rest of the roster with 2nd tier free agents who offer great value. Only rarely should you spend big for a high dollar free agent when the situation warrants it.
    Mar 7, 2014 at 6:31 AM
    0
    Response: I agree completely. There are always those fans that get so upset that the 49ers are not even in talks with the top tier free agents. It's because the 49ers are cap smart and no longer are willing to overspend on anyone.
  • VA49er
    I would submit that it is really 9 and 7 players drafted. Call it what you will but Brooks and Boone were guys we scouted in the draft process and that we took as rookies. We just correctly evaluated that neither needed to be drafted. BL we brought both those guys into the league. In principal if you are talking about building through Free Agency you are talking about signing what you think is a proven commodity/fit.
    Mar 7, 2014 at 1:27 AM
    0
    Response: I somewhat agree on Boone and I knew as I was writing this that someone would bring that up. I wanted to add a note that mentioned that, but instead just listed him as an undrafted free agent. Technically, he was a free agent. But I totally get your point. As for Brooks, he was drafted in the supplemental draft by the Bengals in July of 2006 and then acquired by the 49ers off waivers on August 31, 2008.

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



49ers starting to figure out running back rotation behind Christian McCaffrey

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 24

Through the first two games of the season, San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey dominated the team's touches, recording 27 in Week 1, when he rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, and 23 in Week 2, when he gained 116 yards on the ground and another touchdown. When on the field, McCaffrey was dominant, but he was earning a lion's share of the reps at running back, including a 100% snap share in Week 2 during the 49ers' 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams. That led to head coach Kyle Shanahan taking some accountability after the Week 2 win, understanding the need to balance the running back rotation to preserve McCaffrey for the full season. "Yeah, we definitely got to get Elijah in there more and do better with our rotation than



49ers sign CB Anthony Brown to 53-man roster

By David Bonilla
Sep 19

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers are signing cornerback Anthony Brown to a one-year deal, adding him to the 53-man roster. Former Cowboys' CB Anthony Brown, who tore his Achilles while with Dallas last season and was on Pittsburgh's practice squad until this week, signed today with the 49ers' 53-man roster, per source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 19, 2023 On



49ers adding Tre Swilling to the active roster, per report

By David Bonilla
Sep 20

According to Jordan Schultz, the San Francisco 49ers are signing cornerback Tre Swilling from the practice squad to the active roster. Swilling was elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams and played 14 snaps on special teams. He reverted back to the practice squad after the game. According to Schultz, this isn't another temporary elevation. Instead, the Niners are signing him to the active roster. Source: The



49ers announce roster moves ahead of game vs. Giants

By David Bonilla
Sep 21

The San Francisco 49ers announced several roster moves ahead of their Thursday night matchup against the New York Giants. RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk not expected to play vs. Giants The team has promoted cornerback Tre Swilling from the practice squad to the active roster, a move that was first reported on Wednesday by Jordan Schultz. To make room on the roster, the 49ers have released cornerback Anthony Brown, who was initially signed this week. In addition, the following players have been


Featured

More by David Bonilla

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone