San Francisco 49ers: 5 Position Battles to Watch in Training Camp
The San Francisco 49ers were able to address several of their roster needs in the draft last week. We won’t know for a while how well these picks will pan out, but all we can hope for as fans is for them to make an impact and improve the quality of the team. Niner Noise takes a look at five position battles we should be looking at once training camp rolls around.
Even a casual 49ers fan knows where the weaknesses lay in the 2015 squad. The offensive line was a mess. Opening day starters in right guard Jordan Devey and right tackle Erik Pears couldn’t protect either quarterback’s Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, leading to their benching a little past halfway through the season.
Their replacements in Andrew Tiller and Trent Brown were not earth shattering, but they provided a marked improvement in overall performance and blocking.
Despite their play, this line was still an issue and the overall depth was just not there. With new head coach Chip Kelly likely to install a fast-paced inside-zone scheme, new players were needed to plug holes and improve the depth. General manager Trent Baalke was able to address the need, in picking up University of Stanford guard Joshua Garnett, University of Georgia tackle John Theus and University of Mississippi tackle Fahn Cooper.
Other areas of need were the defensive backfield. The 49ers have drafted heavily in this area over the last couple of years but the jury is still out on this group. Baalke put notice on the current group by drafting Mississippi State University corner Will Redmond, Louisiana State University corner Rashard Robinson and Western Kentucky University corner Prince Charles Iworah.
Other areas of the team that were addressed were the defensive line, the quarterback position and the wide receiver position. Baalke’s goal seems to be to increase the depth and competition at these positions during the off-season program and through training camp.
It is never a bad idea to improve competition. Let’s take a closer look at the probable position battles we should be looking for come training camp.
Next: Wide Receiver