Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Position-by-Position Prediction of 2016 Roster in Advance of Free Agency

By Peter Panacy

Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis (76) pass protects in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the St. Louis Rams in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the St. Louis Rams in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers 2016 roster will undergo a number of changes from what was seen on the field last season. NFL free agency, the draft and a number of other factors will determine how the 53-man roster shapes up. But let’s take an early prediction at what the Niners may look like this upcoming season.

Trying to figure out what the San Francisco 49ers roster will look like in 2016 is nearly impossible only days removed from Super Bowl 50. There are plenty of offseason events on the horizon that will shape and alter how the Niners look when they take the field for Week 1 of the upcoming season.

Free agency is just around the corner and the 2016 NFL draft isn’t that far off. With the 49ers boasting more than $50 million in projected cap space as well as potentially 12 draft picks, one should expect a lot of changes coming for a team that finished 5-11 last year.

General manager Trent Baalke has his work cut out for him. Not only will he be tasked with finding the right fits for new head coach Chip Kelly, but he’ll also need to ensure sufficient upgrades are found.

Remember, this was a team finishing dead last on offense a year ago and lacked any sort of consistency on the defensive side of the ball.

Still, the 49ers will have more than enough carryover from the 2015 season. And while players under contract may not necessarily be around to start the regular season — cap casualties, injuries, etc. — we can try to formulate an approximation of what the Niners’ 53-man roster will be when San Francisco kicks off its 2016 campaign.

So let’s take a position-by-position look at the 2016 49ers and try to figure out what Baalke and Co. will do to assemble the team not so long from now.

Note: Backups and non-starters in standard formations will be italicized.

Next: Quarterback