Michael Iupati was born May 12, 1987 in American Samoa. Later at the age of 14 he would move to California, and play high school football at Western High School.  Despite having achieved all-state and all-conference honors, sites like Rivals.com and scout.com only rated Iupati as a two star recruit.  After suffering some academic drawbacks, he would go on to be one of Idaho’s most prolific offensive linemen of all time.  Most 49ers fans have heard the basic history of Mike Iupati however there are many things that fans might not be aware of.

What sets Mike apart from the average American home grown linemen is when football becomes a focal point. What I mean by that is many NFL athletes started their careers in a youth football program like, Pop Warner football. Many start as early as five years old, playing through until Jr. High, then High School, College and the NFL. Iupati lived in American Samoa for the first 14 years of life.  As it turns out there is no early football program available to the youth, at least not when Mike was there.  Football starts there at the high school level, and moves up from there.  So from a football stand point he should be eight or nine years behind.

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The match-up between Lewis and Mays has many factors.  Most importantly is Lewis’ health.  He suffered three concussions last year, two in the preseason and the last one in week 5.  Even though Lewis only missed one game his health will be a concern as the next concussion he suffers could be the end of his career.

Taylor Mays is a hard hitting physical stud but needs to better develop his coverage and footwork.  The 49ers brought in Ronnie Lott in the off-season to help Mays with his development.  Lewis just needs to stay healthy through training camp and the preseason and he will win the starting job.  If Mays is not the starter he will contribute on defense as the blitzing safety and on running downs when the D stacks the box to prevent the run.

Free Safety: Dashon Goldson vs. Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor

The 49ers were known for giving up big pass plays last season.  This however had more to do with a lack of getting a pass rush without using the blitz which left the secondary exposed.  Dashon Goldson had a break out year last season recoding 94 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 sacks.  Unless Goldson has a horrible training camp he is a lock for the starting job.  I hope Reggie Smith and Curtis Taylor have a great training camp because it will bring depth to the secondary that was beat deep often last season.  Goldson is in a contract year so we should see another good year out of him as NFL players bring out everything they have to get awarded with a new hefty contract.  Smith and Taylor know that if they have a solid training camp the 49ers can look to them in the future as starters if Goldson does not sign a contract.  Smith can come in and make an impact right away if Goldson goes down to injury.

Cornerback: Nate Clements vs. Tarell Brown

Age might be finally catching up with Nate Clements.  Clements can still get the job done as a reliable cornerback but the 49ers signed him to be a play-making defensive back.  Even as a dependable corner the 49ers had better talent on the bench last season.  Clements was benched against the Colts in week 8 last season and was replaced by Tarell Brown.  Clements did not start in another game the rest of the season.  Despite Clements big contract the 49ers seem willing to let Brown into the starting lineup if he proves to be the better of the two corners.  Brown did well finishing with 38 tackles and two interceptions after taking over for Clements.  Clements is the better open field tackler which helps with the run but he knows that Mike Singletary and Greg Manusky are willing to replace him in the starting lineup if he does not have a good training camp.  This will be motivation for Clements as he does not want to become the highest paid cornerback that is not a starter.  Regardless of who wins the starting job both will be a factor in the Nickel defensive set.

Running Back: Glen Coffee vs. rookie Anthony Dixon

Frank Gore has the starting job locked up.  The battle at running back in training camp will be who backs up Gore.  After Gore went down to injury against the Vikings in week 3 Glen Coffee had a great opportunity to show his talent but only averaged 57 rushing yards a game, 3.0 yards a rush, with one touchdown in the three games.  Coffee was still developing but not being able to take advantage of playing time last season does not make him the clear favorite to be the number two running back.  Each season the 49ers try to keep Gore’s legs fresh to avoid injury.  One way to do this is not bringing Gore in on third-and-short and goal line situations.  Coffee was not reliable last season on those plays and with the physical and blowing ball style of running Anthony Dixon showed in college he should transition well into this role.  But Dixon is a rookie and learning the offense.  Coffee has the advantage of a year of knowledge of the offense under his belt.

Quarterback: Alex Smith vs. David Carr

The training camp battle at quarterback is not one many people expect to pay attention to however the 49er Faithful showed keep an eye on this one.  Alex Smith has been named the starter, will have the same offense in constructive years for the first time in his career and is coming off last season with the most confidence in his career.  After going 5-5 as a starter Smith finished the season with 2350 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, completed 60.5 percent of his passes and had an 81.5 QB rating.  The 49ers have upgraded their offensive line with draft picks that can start right away so this will make Smith more comfortable in the pocket.  The 49ers passed up on drafting quarterbacks and trading for some of the available ones like Donovan McNabb to show their faith in Smith. They did however sign former number one draft pick David Carr.  I expect Carr to have a great training camp and give Smith good competition for the starting job.  Unless Smith has a bad showing in camp and in the preseason or if he goes down to injury, which is prone to doing, Smith will be under center at the start of the season.  Carr brings stability as a back up and will be a great mentor to Smith as he has been a back up for two Super Bowl quarterbacks.  Both Smith and Carr have a lot to prove as they have been written off by many as quarterbacks who cannot start in the NFL and lead their teams to winning records.

Wide Receiver: Josh Morgan vs. Ted Ginn Jr.

At the start of the 2009 season Josh Morgan was in the starting lineup opposite Isaac Bruce.  He won the starting job with his talent but with Michael Crabtree holding out the first five games of the season was a big reason why he was the number two receiver.  After Crabtree signed with the 49ers he bumped Morgan down to the number three receiver on the depth chart.  That did not last long as an aging Bruce started to breakdown to injuries and Morgan regained his starting role as the second wide receiver on the depth chart.

Unless Crabtree decides to sit out training camp again, there are no indications that will happen, he will be the number one receiver.  Morgan is the presumed number two receiver after posting 52 receptions for 527 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season.  Morgan had a chance to shine during the five-game sit out by Crabtree but his only successful game was the blow-out loss to the Falcons in week five when he caught 4 receptions for 78 yards.  Shaun Hill started the first five games at quarterback and the 49ers were not much of a passing offense under Hill.  Morgan flourished with Alex Smith as the starter as the 49ers went to a more pass oriented offense.

Ted Ginn Jr. is more known for his abilities running back kick-off returns but he is also a speedy yet raw receiver.  The 49ers would love to develop Ginn Jr. into a more pure receiver but that may not happen by the end of training camp.  If Ginn Jr. loses the second WR spot he will be used on third-and-long situations using his speed to get behind the secondary.

Also in the hunt: Jason Hill, Dominique Zeigler, Brandon Jones and rookie Kyle Williams.

Right tackle: Rookie Anthony Davis vs. Adam Snyder

One of the biggest problems last season for the 49ers at offensive line was depth after their starters.  This was evident when left tackle Joe Staley went down to injury in week eight and missed the next six games.  The 49ers patched up their offensive line well enough to stay in the playoff hunt but the O-line was a big reason why they did not close out a few games that should have been wins.  The 49ers used their first two draft picks to shore up the offensive line with players that are expected to start right away and make an impact.

The first offensive lineman the 49ers selected in the draft was right tackle Anthony Davis.  At 323 pounds Davis is the physical type of player head coach Mike Singletary envisions on the offensive line.  Even with his size Davis has quick feet and the explosiveness off the line that you need to run the ball and to quickly get to the outside to protect the quarterback on passing plays.  Even though Davis is a rookie as a first-round draft pick he is expected to start.  Adam Snyder has played every O-line position minus center for the 49ers since he was drafted in 2005.  He also started all 16 games at right tackle last season but only had a mediocre year of play which is why Davis was selected.  Unless Davis cannot grasp the fundamentals of his position he will win the starting job. Injuries will occur on the line so having Snyder as a backup and that he can play four of the five O-line positions is a benefit for the 49ers.

Left guard: Rookie Mike Iupati vs. David Baas

David Baas is like Adam Snyder in that he started all 16 games last season however his production at left guard was not enough for the 49ers to stick with him as the starter as they drafted guard Mike Iupati. Iupati was considered the best guard available in the draft.  Baas will most likely lose his job as the incumbent starter to Iupati.  Evidence of this was during the Organized Team Activities with Baas also lining up at center to show how versatile he can be as a backup.  It is not a sure thing Baas will lose the starting job because Iupati is learning the 49ers offense and how to play guard in the NFL.  Iupati was notorious for holding penalties while at Idaho which is one hole he needs to fix in order to win the starting job.  One positive thing for Baas is that he can take over the right guard position from Tony Wragge if he does not have a strong training camp.

Defensive line: Seven players, only six spots on the team.

There are potentially seven defensive linemen who can start but probably only six spots on the roster.  The 49ers did record 40 sacks last year however not many came without the blitz which left the secondary exposed.  The D-line needs to step up their pressure to avoid using the blitz all the time to get to the quarterback.  Veterans Aubrayo Franklin, who the 49ers placed the franchise tag on, Justin Smith and Isaac Sopoaga will for sure make the team however their starting roles are not set in stone.  The 49ers think highly of Ricky Jean Francois and Kentwan Balmer and both are the front runners for taking over the starting job at defensive tackle but we do not know what we will get out of both.  Entering his second year Jean Francois saw limited playing time last year but is expected to get more playing time this year.  He will have to have a tremendous training camp to take over a starting spot.  Balmer is in his third season after he was selected in the first-round of 2008.  Balmer had a lot of promise after the draft but the last two seasons have been disappointments.  This will most likely be Balmer’s last chance to make an impact on the team so expect him to have a good training camp.  With Franklin not having signed a long-term contract since being designated the franchise tag and Smith and Sopoaga getting older the coaches are looking for replacements of the future.

Also in the mix is Demetric Evans (most likely the odd-man out) and Ray McDonald (had a DUI this off-season).

Outside linebacker: Manny Lawson vs. Ahmad Brooks

One of the biggest keys to the 49ers 3-4 defensive formation is at outside linebacker.  Manny Lawson is the starter at left outside linebacker however Ahmad Brooks took over on third-down situations over the last six games last season and excelled.  Brooks ranked second in sacks in the final five games last season recording five sacks.  Lawson missed the voluntary workouts this off-season which allowed Brooks to take snaps with the first team defense.  Lawson said he missed the workouts because wanted a “change of scenery” for his workouts.  He was in Arizona working out improving his strength, coverage skills and explosion off the line.  I don’t think it is any coincidence that Lawson missed all of the voluntary workouts while only having one more year left on his contract.  Lawson has been professional about expressing his desire for a new contract and he definitely deserves a long-term contract.  Lawson however will need to continue his professionalism through training camp and not pull a Brandon Marshall by participating in training camp but protesting for a new contract at the same time. Otherwise Brooks is ready to step in.

Also in the hunt: Scott McKillop, Travis LaBoy and rookie Navorro Bowman.

Look for Part II tomorrow with five more training camp competitions to watch.