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Training Camp Predictions for the 49ers

By Peter Panacy

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Training camp is just around the corner, and the San Francisco 49ers are poised to enter the 2015 NFL season after what has been one of the most arduous periods in franchise history.

But all of the turmoil is in the past now, and the 49ers’ 90-man roster and coaching staff will seek to place the best talent available onto the field when Week 1 of the regular season kicks off on September 14.

Camp will reveal a lot of the answers for which 49ers fans have been waiting. While there are some portions of the roster that are all but set, other positions are not quite as clear.

Who wins out at starting cornerback alongside veteran corner Tramaine Brock? Which player earns the nod as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver? How will the offensive line take shape? What can we expect from the crop of San Francisco’s front seven?

These questions, and more, are in need of answers as training camp looms. And we’ll try to predict those answers to the best of our abilities.

The Cornerback Position

Will cornerback Dontae Johnson get the call for San Francisco’s second starting cornerback in 2015? Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Brock should get the accolade of being San Francisco’s top cornerback in 2015. Despite missing all but three games last season with various injuries, the five-year veteran is still capable of being a solid piece of the secondary.

But who plays alongside him?

San Francisco has a number of players from which to choose, fortunately. Veterans like Chris Cook and Shareece Wright have the pro-level experience to amicably compete for the No. 2 cornerback job. But Cook has yet to record a single interception over five NFL seasons and may be best viewed as a depth option.

Wright struggled over his first four years in the league with the San Diego Chargers. Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus points out Wright’s issues over the last two seasons, which does not inspire much confidence in the fifth-year pro.

Or might we see a young cornerback emerge as the favorite here? Corners Dontae Johnson and Keith Reaser both have a lot of promise to fill the void. Johnson appeared in all 16 games for the 49ers last year and flashed promise. Oscar Aparicio of Niners Nation broke down some of statistical accolades:

"Johnson defended a pass every 8 times he was targeted. For comparison, Richard Sherman defended a pass every 8.1 times he was targeted. I certainly don’t mean to say that Johnson is as good as Richard Sherman, but at the very least they prevent receptions by deflecting passes at the same rate."

But Grant Cohn of Bleacher Report suggests that Reaser will be the guy who starts at cornerback.

Cornerback Keith Reaser (right) has yet to play a game at the pro level. But he has impressed during offseason workouts. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Cohn was intrigued by Reaser’s abilities during OTAs and cited his versatility as a primary reason why the 49ers would be willing to give him a starting job. So it probably comes down to either Johnson or Reaser. My guess would be Johnson earning the starting nod in Week 1.

But Reaser is right there in the mix if Johnson fails to develop beyond his current skill set.

Battle for the No. 3 Wide Receiver Spot

Jerome Simpson is one of three favored candidates to earn the No. 3 wide receiver job in 2015. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran wideouts Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith will occupy the Nos. 1 and 2 receiver positions in 2015 provided injuries do not become a factor.

But who takes over at the valued third-wideout spot?

Three wide receivers are in the mix for this job according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area: Jerome Simpson, Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton.

Out of the three, Simpson has the most to offer on the field. Six years of experience with the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings have resulted in the 29-year-old speedster having a career average of 13.8 yards per reception.

But injuries and off-the-field issues forced Simpson to miss all of 2014, which casts doubt on his abilities to impact San Francisco’s offense.

And then there is second-year wideout Ellington.

“I’m not going to say it’s my time, but I’m coming.” – wide receiver Quinton Patton

His role on the 53-man roster is relatively safe given his abilities as a return man, but should we expect more out of him on offense? Ellington did flash some promise after posting six receptions for 62 yards and two touchdowns in limited time on the offensive side of the ball last year.

Or will Patton finally get his chance to break out on a regular basis?

Patton has struggled to see the field since San Francisco drafted him in Round 4 of the 2013 NFL draft. He’s appeared in only 10 games over his two-year career and has logged a mere six receptions for 78 yards.

Next: Quinton Patton on Hot Seat

But, as Maiocco pointed out, Patton has made strides to put himself into a better position to succeed in his third season at the pro level.

“I’m not going to say it’s my time, but I’m coming,” Patton said.

Or will there be a dark-horse candidate that steals the job in 2015? UDFA signings Dres Anderson and DeAndrew White both flashed promise during minicamp and OTAs and could wind up surprising San Francisco’s coaching staff.

Yet the safe bet falls on Simpson right now. One should make note that the 6’1″, 193-pound receiver is a bona fide red-zone threat when considering who gets the job. Seven of his eight career touchdowns have come within opponents’ red zones.

And that is an area in which the 49ers need improvement.

The Offensive Line

Alex Boone could wind up playing at one of three spots along the offensive line in 2015. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco is now without top-tier offensive linemen Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis. That leaves left tackle Joe Staley, right guard Alex Boone and swing tackle Erik Pears as the only longstanding veterans on the roster.

Boone could shift over to right tackle, which was a position he played in college. Or Pears could take the job and leave Boone at one of the interior positions.

Right tackle could also wind up going to 2015 draftee Trenton Brown. Brown has impressed 49ers coaches per Tyler Emerick of 49ers.com since being selected in Round 7 of the draft.

“Trent Brown has got tremendous ability,” Tomsula said via Emerick. “There’s a lot of development that needs to take place, but absolutely. I really like that guy, and I like the way he’s working.”

“I’m not looking at you now telling you Trent Brown is going to start at right tackle. But I’m also not telling you he won’t. He’s just got a lot of work to do, but his potential and his development is really exciting.”

And what of the interior positions?

Second-year pro Brandon Thomas has a good chance to emerge at a left guard position provided Boone stays put. Thomas was redshirted during his rookie season last year, but he still has enough promise to stake out a claim on a starting job.

But perhaps the biggest question mark is what happens at center. Daniel Kilgore was, perhaps, the most reliable of San Francisco’s O-line members last season before being lost for the year with a leg injury in Week 7.

When asked whether or not he’d be 100 percent by the start of training camp, Kilgore responded via Eric Branch of SFGate.com that he’s “not going to promise anything.”

Next: 49ers O-line Will be Fine in 2015

If not Kilgore, the 49ers would be forced to slate either Marcus Martin or Joe Looney at center. Martin has the more promise out of the two, but Kilgore is the obvious first choice here.

With all things considered though, the offensive line should emerge as something like this: LT Joe Staley, LG Brandon Thomas, C Daniel Kilgore, RG Alex Boone and RT Trenton Brown.

The Front Seven

Linebacker NaVorro Bowman’s presence wil have a positive impact on the defense. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Smith’s absence creates a major void along San Francisco’s defensive line. And the losses of Willis and Borland open up significant vacancies in the linebacker corps.

Fortunately, the 49ers have likable depth at both spots.

The D-line has been reinforced by offseason acquisitions Darnell Dockett and first-round pick Arik Armstead. A healthy complement of nose tackles Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey also help here.

These players will be added to a rotation that also includes D-linemen Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial and Tony Jerod-Eddie. Needless to say, the 49ers have plenty of options from which to choose.

Out of this crop, Carradine figures to be the promising linchpin. The third-year pro has struggled to get on the field over his NFL career. But he finished last season with three sacks over his final three games.

But can he occupy a critical job of locking up opposing blockers to free up San Francisco’s group of pass-rushers?

“I know that when I’m playing consistently and I’m on my game, I can’t be stopped.” – linebacker Aldon Smith

If he can, the 49ers will be able to enjoy a deeper cast of outside linebackers led by Aldon Smith, Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks.

Unlike previous years, Smith’s offseason has been marked by off-the-field training and workouts. The legal issues that have plagued his career have, hopefully, become a thing of the past.

“I feel fast now,” Smith said via the team’s website. “I’ve lost some weight, slimmed up, gotten stronger and it’s shown on the field.”

“I know that when I’m playing consistently and I’m on my game, I can’t be stopped.”

Smith had just two sacks in an abbreviated season last year. But the one-time All-Pro has 44 total over his four-year career.

Additional pass-rushers like Lynch, Brooks and rookie Eli Harold also figure to get into the mix. If the D-line can do its job up front, San Francisco’s sack totals should increase from the middle-of-the-road posting of 35 in 2014.

Next: Who Is Aaron Lynch?

The 49ers will also benefit from a healthy return of perennial All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman. He’ll play alongside fellow inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who has done an amicable job filling in for injured backers like Willis and Bowman during his pro career.

I would expect a solid rotation out of defensive coordinator Eric Mangini’s defense. Players like Dockett, Dorsey and Williams may be favorites to earn out a starting job. But one can’t ignore the snap counts given to younger talents like Carradine, Dial and Armstead.

Brooks will be an interesting commodity. The 31-year-old veteran could occupy a starting job over Lynch at the outside linebacker position. Or he could shift to the inside and hold a position that he played when he first broke into the league in 2006.

The 49ers have some pressing questions heading into training camp in 2015. Position battles at wide receiver, cornerback, the O-line and the D-line are yet to be determined.

But the answers are there.

Exactly which player emerges at each open spot will help determine San Francisco’s final 53-man roster. Combined with the 49ers’ preseason efforts, one can only hope that Tomsula’s squad will get the most out of its current talent.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.

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