Wayyy too early 49ers 53-Man Roster Projections

lp1986 · 2023-05-01T18:26:33-07:00

Coming out of the draft and UDFA signings the Niners 90-Man Roster appears set. I wouldn't be surprised if they added a veteran Edge or OT so things can move around, but here's my early early look at how the 53-Man roster should shape up... Offense (26) QB (3): Brock Purdy | Trey Lance | Sam Darnold No surprises here. Two key questions however: 1) does Purdy start the year on the Reserve PUP list meaning he'd miss the first four games of the season and 2) which will be the storyline of the offseason: who wins the QB2 competition between Lance and Darnold. I'm expecting Lance to edge out Darnold; he's just too gifted not to. RB (4): Christian McCaffrey | Eli Mitchell | Jordan Mason | Khalan Laborn My first big surprise that I'm calling today: Khalan Laborn will beat out Ty Davis-Price for the RB4 spot. Laborn was a 5-star recruit to Florida St. who tore his knee in his second year. He was out of football but then revitalized his career this past year at Marshall where he rushed for over 1,500 yards. He showed out at his pro day, weighing 5'10" 204, running a sub 4.5 40 and notching a shuttle, 3-cone, vertical, broad jump and bench which would've put him in the top 3 for all RBs at the combine. Besides that, I'm hoping we can get a healthy season out of Eli Mitchell and - for the love of god - please give Jordan Mason more carries! FB (1): Kyle Juszczyk No comment necessary WR (5): Deebo Samuel | Brandon Aiyuk | Jauan Jennings | Ray-Ray McCloud | Danny Gray The top 4 are set and I want to believe that Danny Gray has the goods to emerge and really push for playing time; he's got all the talent in the world. If he falters, I'm a fan of Ronnie Bell, the 7th Round Pick out of Michigan, who I *hope* the Niners can at very least stash on the practice squad. TE (4): George Kittle | Brayden Willis | Charlie Woerner | Cameron Latu Surprise #2: I think Brayden Willis will beat out of Latu for the #2 spot. Willis is a tenacious blocker, is far stronger and has better movement skills than Latu who is still developing. This situation reminds of the 2021 dynamic between Trey Sermon and Eli Mitchell where it will become clear very quickly that the late round selection is a better overall player. OL (9): Trent Williams | Aaron Banks | Jake Brendel | Spencer Burford | Colton McKivitz | Joe Feliciano | Nick Zakelj | Jaylon Moore | LeRoy Watson The top 8 lineman are set and I have a dark horse surprise for the final roster spot: LeRoy Watson. Watson was a late cut by the Falcons last year and spent the year on the Niners PS. He was a former TE (and teammate of Spencer Burford) but is 6'5" 300+ with nearly 36" arms and tremendous movement skills. My guess is he beats out Matt Pryor who the Niners can keep as a veteran on the PS. I also expect big things from Jason Poe who I also *hope* that the Niners can stash on the PS for another year. Defense (24) DE (5): Nick Bosa | Drake Jackson | Clelin Ferrell | Austin Bryant | Robert Beal Jr. Bosa, Jackson and Ferrell are set, and I assume they will keep Beal who they drafted in the 5th on the active roster so the final spot at end will come down to Austin Bryant and Kerry Hyder. Hyder is the sure thing but Bryant has more upside. I think the Niners will be able to stash KHJ on the PS. The success of this unit hinges on Drake Jackson taking a big step in year 2. Also I can't wait to see Beal screaming off the edge. DT (5): Javon Hargrave | Arik Armstead | Javon Kinlaw | Kevin Givens | Kalia Davis This unit appears uncontroversial. I'm very curious to see if Kinlaw is finally healthy; if he is, this will be an incredibly deep and talented unit. Also, I think Kalia Davis will really surprise and make an impact here. I expect the Niners to squeeze T.Y. McGill onto the practice squad. LB (5): Fred Warner | Dre Greenlaw | Oren Burks | Marcelino McCrary-Ball | Dee Winters My surprise call for the defense is that McCrary-Ball beats out Flanigan Fowles. The former is just a bit more dynamic and I can see him challenging Burks for playing time at SAM. I think Dee Winters makes the team because he should be lights out on special teams. I expect the Niners to stash their Jalen Graham and Mariano Sori-Marin on the practice squad. CB (5): Mooney Ward | Sam Womack | Isaiah Oliver | DeMo Lenoir | Darell Luter Jr. My final big prediction is that Sam Womack unseats DeMo Lenoir for a starting CB job. Womack is longer, faster and stickier in coverage. I believe he'll make a big leap this year. The arrival of Luter also means Ambry Thomas' spot on the roster is in serious jeopardy. S (4): Ji'Ayir Brown | Talanoa Hufanga | Tashaun Gipson | George Odum I'm betting for Brown to take over the starting FS spot. He's such an instinctive player that I can see him stepping in from day 1 and being at least as good as Gipson. Besides that, Myles Hartsfield is someone who can challenge George Odum for a spot because of his speed and verstatility. Special Teams (3) Let's hope Moody brings the goods. There'll be a ton of pressure on the Rook. K: Jake Moody P: Mitch Wishnowsky LS: Taybor Pepper

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May 1, 2023 at 6:40 PM

genus49
Moderator
Posts: 28,576

I personally hate doing these so early in the season but just had to give you props for putting that together. Really well thought out comments. Great job!

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