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San Francisco 49ers: An Early Look at Locks for the 2016 Roster

By Bryan Knowles

Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arik Armstead (91) sacks Carson Palmer. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Arik Armstead (91) sacks Carson Palmer. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Recent High Draft Picks

A well-run team won’t give up on their draft picks and projects without giving them a fair chance to realize the potential they saw in them on draft day.  While there are exceptions to this rule—A.J. Jenkins was so bad in his first two seasons, the team felt they had to move on—generally, you want to give your first-round picks at least three seasons before admitting they were a poor choice.

With that in mind, here are the recent draft pick locks:

  • DT Arik Armstead (First-round pick, 2015)
  • DB Jimmie Ward (First-round pick, 2014)
  • SS Jaquiski Tartt (Second-round pick, 2015)
  • OLB Eli Harold (Third-round pick, 2015)

They will be joined by possibly as many as eight draftees from 2016—anyone in the first five rounds is likely going to make the opening day roster, barring injury—but these four are the ones who look to have a roster spot sewn up just because they were lauded on recent draft days.

Arik Armstead actually had a very solid rookie season, albeit one that saw him sitting on the bench more than you’d hope a first-round pick would.  When he saw the field, he was very solid in both the pass rush and run defense, and would earn a “lock” designation regardless of his draft status.  Jimmie Ward also would qualify even if he had come out of nowhere; Ward’s took a step forward as the nickel corner in his sophomore season.  He’s not a superstar by any means, but considering the average 30th overall pick usually starts for three or four seasons without becoming a Pro Bowler or anything, Ward at least seems to be having a solid start to his career.

Jaquiski Tartt showed some potential, especially when it came to making tackles.  He still showed some rookie mistakes, and he was better when he wasn’t asked to be the starting strong safety, but he outperformed what I thought he would do when he was taken in last year’s draft.  I’d like to see him take another step forward next season, but that’s true of almost any young player.

Eli Harold arguably had the worst season of any of these young players.  Like Armstead, he had inconsistent playing time, but he didn’t flash as much when he actually made it onto the field.  Reports from the end of last season suggested that the team wanted him to add muscle, which might help him going forward.

Next: Large Contracts