San Francisco 49ers: 10 Players with a Lot to Prove in 2016

The San Francisco 49ers roster will undergo a lot of changes between the NFL Scouting Combine through free agency and the 2016 NFL draft. And those changes could put a number of incumbent players in jeopardy for the upcoming season.

Nothing is ever guaranteed in the NFL, and such will be the case for the San Francisco 49ers looking to improve upon a disastrous 5-11 campaign in 2015.

In short, the current Niners roster is full of holes and weaknesses. Pick nearly any position and, chances are, San Francisco could use some upgrades there.

While there are a number of players whose respective jobs are relatively safe in 2016, a sizable portion of the 49ers roster carrying over into 2016 could be in jeopardy of losing spots on the depth chart. Or, in many cases, such players may not even make the team when Week 1 of the regular season rolls around.

So which players are in jeopardy of potentially losing their jobs this season?

In order to determine this, the player actually needs to be under contract for next season. And there should have been — at one point or another — a reasonable level of expectation out of that player beyond just a “depth” or reserve option to round out a roster.

Sadly, the Niners have far too many of these candidates. A wide number of players underachieved or failed to meet expectations in 2015. Some haven’t come close during their pro tenure.

Let’s take a look at 10 49ers who need to have an impact season in 2016 to ensure they stay put.

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