San Francisco 49ers: Ranking Each Position by Strength Entering 2016

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Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers strong safety Antoine Bethea (41) celebrates after making a tackle for a loss against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Secondary

This group has the potential to be special. It needs a couple of the younger guys to step up and become great players.

The safety position is very strong with a key veteran in Antoine Bethea and a hard-hitter in Eric Reid. When you throw in fellow hard-hitter Jaquiski Tartt (plus-78.3 run defense grade per PFF) the back end is rocking.

The corner position has the questions, and carries a lot of youth. There are no real stars on this unit. The players who played last season are good, but not great. It was one of the main reasons the 49ers ranked 27th in pass defense last year.

For this unit to become great – make the secondary great again! – several of the near-veteran players need to take the next step and become bona fide stars. This includes Tramaine Brock, Dontae Johnson and Kenneth Acker. If Jimmie Ward ends up being the right corner, and remains one of defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s “best 11”, then his improvement on the field will be a major boost to turning the secondary around.

If the 49ers can get anything from the rookies (Will Redmond, Rashard Robinson and Prince Charles Iworah) and they get on the field and contribute right away, this unit will change from being an overall weak unit to a strong unit.

Like the factors earlier, a lot hinges on the development of the youth. This unit has the makings of being a boom or bust.

Next: Linebackers