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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."
The San Francisco 49ers mainly focused on fortifying their defense in free agency, leaving many to believe that the 2024 NFL Draft will be their chance to upgrade the offensive line.
Most mock drafts predict the 49ers will select the best offensive tackle available to bolster the line's weak link—the right side—and potentially provide a succession plan for 35-year-old left tackle Trent Williams.
Pro Football Focus recently examined each team's biggest need heading into the draft's first round and unsurprisingly listed offensive line for the 49ers.
"The 49ers likely won't have the luxury of selecting the top offensive lineman with the 31st pick, but they can still find a quality player to improve a unit that was inconsistent in pass
Amidst swirling trade rumors surrounding Brandon Aiyuk, the speculation surrounding Deebo Samuel's future with the San Francisco 49ers seems to have quieted down.
According to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers have assured Samuel that he will not be involved in any pre- or post-draft transactions, ensuring his place on the roster for the time being.
"Samuel, who signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension before the 2022 season, has been assured by his bosses that he will not be dealt during or after the draft," Silver reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
Earlier in the
We're just over 24 hours before round one of the NFL Draft begins. The San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to have their first pick in the opening round since 2021 when they drafted Trey Lance. That didn't turn out well, but there is optimism that the team will be able to make its roster better over the next few days.
GM John Lynch spoke on Monday and said there's a possibility the team could trade out of the first round. I doubt that would go over well with the fanbase, especially since they haven't had a first-rounder in the past two years. But if it's a good trade that lands the 49ers some quality picks, we could see that happen, especially if there aren't any players at pick 31 that the team is excited about.
We opened up the 49ers Webzone Mailbag to see what
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
