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With a limited amount of cap space heading into free agency, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to be sellers rather than buyers on the open market. This required general manager John Lynch to make some tough decisions, most notably trading DeForest Buckner and letting Emmanuel Sanders walk. The organization was able to find successors through the NFL Draft, but that also means the team will be counting on a handful of young players to be successful in year one.
With a few newcomers set to play significant roles, it begs the question of which ones are the most important?
Of course, every player on the roster is important and this isn't to say that the others are insignificant, but some rookies will bear more weight on their shoulders than others. Here is a look at who I think the 49ers' three most important rookies will be this season, ranked in order.
Brandon Aiyuk
Sanders' departure leaves a giant hole in San Francisco's offense. He instantly became the team's top wideout, racking up
36 receptions for 503 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games for the Red and Gold, while simultaneously taking a lot of pressure off
Deebo Samuel. Before the veteran's arrival, the rookie averaged
3 catches and about 34 yards per game. Those figures shot up to
4.2 and 63 after the acquisition of the former Bronco.
With a limited amount of cap space, Lynch had little to no choice but to let Sanders walk and turn to the NFL Draft to find another wide receiver. The general manager traded up to the 25th overall selection to replace the 10-year vet with
Brandon Aiyuk.
It comes with the territory of being a first-round pick, but there will be a lot of pressure on Aiyuk to succeed in year one. He'll need to perform right away to one, replace some of Sanders' production and two, help open things up for Samuel, especially with the 49ers' lack of depth at the position.
Kendrick Bourne is a solid role player but has yet to prove that he can be a consistent receiving threat, and while
Jalen Hurd is set to return from injury, he's still an unproven commodity who only spent one season in college as a full-time wide receiver.
It might be asking a lot of Aiyuk to step into such a big role as a rookie, but it's something the team desperately needs. Luckily,
the predecessor shares a similar skill set to his successor, now it's just a matter of how quickly the Arizona State product can make the transition to the next level.
Javon Kinlaw
I've said it a bunch of times this offseason and it's probably the most obvious statement anyone can make, but replacing Buckner will be a very difficult task for the Red and Gold. The 2019 second-team All-Pro selection is widely considered one of the best defensive tackles in the league, as he's racked up
28.5 sacks, 74 QB hits, and 38 tackles for loss in four seasons. Players like him don't grow on trees but as the old cliché goes, "it's a business" and it would have been nearly impossible for Lynch to keep the core of the roster intact with Buckner serving as a
$20 million cap hit for the next five years.
Luckily, San Francisco was able to salvage some value for the defensive lineman by trading him to Indianapolis for a first-round pick. The organization wasted no time in finding Buckner's replacement, after taking
Javon Kinlaw with the 14th overall selection of the draft.
While it's unrealistic to expect Kinlaw to play at an All-Pro level in year one, he'll still need to become a formidable starter right out of the gate. After three disappointing seasons, it's safe to say that
Solomon Thomas cannot be relied upon to be a productive player, let alone replace Buckner. This means if the team's defensive line is going to be anywhere near as dominant in 2020 as it was in 2019, the rookie needs to pick up a significant portion of the slack.
As for why I have Aiyuk listed as slightly more important than Kinlaw, I do think San Francisco has a couple of other options to explore along its defensive line if the latter struggles to make the transition to the next level. While he's best on the edge,
Arik Armstead has shown some versatility to slide inside and be productive, which gives the 49ers the flexibility to put him at defensive tackle and expand
Dee Ford's role on the outside. Granted, Ford's health is a big factor in that equation but I think the team will still have a decent plan B or C if the pass rusher can't stay out of the training room.
Both
Jullian Taylor and
D.J. Jones have shown flashes of good play, posting PFF grades of
67.9 and 67.8 last season, respectively. In a pinch, the Red and Gold could rely on either or both of them to be serviceable starters and still have an imposing defensive line with Armstead and
Nick Bosa on the outside. However, I don't have the same level of confidence in the team's receiving corps if Aiyuk can't get the job done.
Colton McKivitz
Admittedly, with 128 picks between the team's second and third selections in the draft, and with a roster that has very few holes, it was difficult to find/project a third rookie who will play a significant role in the upcoming season. However, last year San Francisco learned first-hand how important depth along the offensive line is. Starting tackles
Joe Staley and
Mike McGlinchey combined to miss 13 games, which forced first-year players
Daniel Brunskill and
Justin Skule into action.
While Brunskill throve, allowing a mere
nine pressures in 10 games while recording a
PFF Pass Blocking grade of 80.9, Skule struggled with a
grade of 45.0 and 23 pressures allowed. The latter's performance last season leaves the door open for
Colton McKivitz to not only make the roster but also have a significant role in year one.
Despite playing in a
very pass-happy offense, the rookie never allowed more than
19 pressures during a single season in college, which makes me think he can beat out Skule for one of the backup tackle spots. As for Brunskill, he will likely serve as the offensive line's "sixth man," meaning he'll be the first one off the bench if any of the starters go down. The San Diego State product also filled in at guard in 2019, so if he has to step in for someone on the interior, McKivitz could be the next man up on the outside.
Given that
Trent Williams has only played a full 16-game schedule twice in his nine-year career, the former Mountaineer could easily be thrust into action in 2020. The rookie also has some position flexibility as he
spent some time at guard in college, so he could be very crucial if the injury bug hits San Francisco's offense line hard like it did last season. In a division that projects to be very competitive this season, even if McKivitz only plays in one game, his performance could be a significant factor in the 49ers' playoff positioning.
The undefeated Miami Dolphins' 70-20 win over the winless Denver Broncos has shot them to the top of multiple power rankings. However, for most, the San Francisco 49ers sit in the top spot.
Also undefeated and sitting atop the NFC West standings, the 49ers are coming off a 30-12 win over the New York Giants. The team is so well-rounded, and Brock Purdy continues to rack up the wins as the starting quarterback.
San Francisco has started the regular season 3-0 for the ninth time in franchise history and has now won 13 consecutive regular-season games dating back to Week 8 of last season. It's the longest active streak in the NFL and the second-longest winning streak in franchise
The Pro Football Hall of Fame named the 173 nominees for its Class of 2024. Several former San Francisco 49ers players are on the list, as Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area pointed out.
Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees include ex-49ers Jeff Garcia, Ricky Watters, Charlie Garner, Brian Westbrook, Anquan Boldin, Justin Smith, Dana Stubblefield, Ted Washington, NaVorro Bowman, Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis, Lee Woodall, Julian Peterson, Merton Hanks, Tim McDonald.— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 19,
After missing this year's OTA's and Training Camp in a hold out effort for a new contract, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Defensive End Nick Bosa finally became the highest paid defensive player in NFL history, just days before the team's week one matchup against the Pittsburg Steelers. Bosa signed a five-year $170 million extension with the team.
It's easy to say Bosa's slow start in that week one matchup was due to his holdout and lack of football activity with the team this offseason. However, to say that sluggishness carried over into their week two matchup against their division rival Los Angeles Rams isn't entirely true. Far too often players (especially defensive players) are critiqued on stats alone. While stats help players earn end of the year accolades, they don't
The San Francisco 49ers have now won 12 consecutive regular-season games, just three games shy of tying the 15-game record set between the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Sunday's 30-23 win against the Los Angeles Rams may not have been the prettiest of victories, but Kyle Shanahan's squad improved to 2-0 on the season and sit alone atop the NFC West.
The 49ers managed to beat their division rival despite quarterback Brock Purdy having arguably his most unimpressive game as a starter. He finished the game 17-of-25 for 206 yards and a passer rating of 93.1, a new regular-season career-low as a starter.
Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL with 268 rushing yards and ranks second only to wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings in