San Francisco 49ers: Looking at locks and bubble-watch players after the NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have turned over a sizable chunk of their 2016 roster and also added a plethora of talent via the NFL Draft. After a multitude of transactions, here’s an early look at which 90-man roster players are locks for this season and who is on the bubble.

With the 2017 NFL Draft in the rear-view mirror, the San Francisco 49ers can now shift their focus to developing the players they have on their 90-man roster.

And it’s a roster that underwent even more changes earlier this week.

General manager John Lynch cut 13 players from the roster on Tuesday, signed a number of undrafted free agents and inked veteran offensive linemen Tim Barnes and Brandon Fusco to one-year deals.

After these latest changes, the Niners have now turned over more than half of last year’s roster, as pointed out by Eric Branch of SFGate.com:

The 49ers won’t be forced to make the next wave of cuts until Week 3 of the preseason, when the 90-man roster must be trimmed to 75 players. San Francisco’s 53-man roster will be announced when the preseason is finished.

While there are plenty of events to take place between now and final cuts, let’s take a look at players who are locks to make the roster, in pretty good shape, strong- and weak-bubble players.

And let’s break this down position by position, starting things off with special teams.

Note: All roster transactions and signed players as of May 2 and does not included signed undrafted free agents.

Special Teams

Kicker: Robbie Gould, Nick Rose

Punter: Bradley Pinion

Long-Snapper: Kyle Nelson

There isn’t much to report here. San Francisco inked free-agent kicker Robbie Gould in the offseason to replace veteran Phil Dawson.

And even though he’s been a downgrade from Andy Lee, punter Bradley Pinion likely sticks around for a while as well.

Few people know long-snapper Kyle Nelson’s name, and that’s the perfect thing for a player at his position.

Backup kicker Nick Rose will see a good deal of action during the preseason, but he won’t make the regular-season roster unless something happens to Gould.

Locks: Robbie Gould, Bradley Pinion, Kyle Nelson

Weak Bubble: Nick Rose

Safety

Adrian Colbert, Don Jones, Eric Reid, Vinnie Sunseri, Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward

The 49ers waited until Round 7 to add a safety, Adrian Colbert, in the NFL Draft. Not using a higher pick all but guarantees defensive back Jimmie Ward shifts back to free safety, moving Eric Reid into the box as the team’s starting strong safety.

Third-year pro Jaquiski Tartt’s 2016 campaign was a bit of a disappointment. But he’s probably the best option to back up either Ward or Reid — important, considering the latter two have an injury history.

San Francisco likely keeps four safeties on its roster this season, which means the final roster spot falls between Colbert and late-2016 pickup Vinnie Sunseri.

Locks: Eric Reid, Jimmie Ward

Good Shape: Jaquiski Tartt

Strong Bubble: Adrian Colbert

Weak Bubble: Vinnie Sunseri, Don Jones

Cornerback

Prince Charles Iworah, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser, Will Redmond, Rashard Robinson, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon

Cornerback is going to be an important position this season, especially considering the amount of Cover 3 defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will run.

This means a lot of one-on-one coverage, and the 49ers are all but guaranteed to start second-year pro Rashard Robinson and rookie corner Ahkello Witherspoon.

If the 49ers didn’t add Witherspoon during the NFL Draft, Dontae Johnson might have stood the best chance to crack the starting lineup. But he’s fallen out of favor in recent years, and the new regime might be looking at him as an excess commodity.

Related Story: What Happened to Cornerback Dontae Johnson?

Offseason pickup, corner K’Waun Williams, is the favorite to play nickel. His strongest competition is likely Will Redmond, who missed all of 2016 while recovering from a collegiate ACL tear.

San Francisco probably winds up keeping five cornerbacks. More, perhaps, if a few of them double on special teams. But this likely winds up being one of the more heated competitions in training camp.

Locks: Rashard Robinson, Ahkello Witherspoon

Good Shape: K’Waun Williams

Strong Bubble: Will Redmond, Keith Reaser

Weak Bubble: Dontae Johnson, Prince Charles Iworah

Linebacker

Ray-Ray Armstrong, NaVorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks, Brock Coyle, Reuben Foster, Eli Harold, Aaron Lynch, Malcolm Smith, Dekoda Watson

The biggest offseason at linebacker, of course, was former Alabama star Reuben Foster at the tail end of the NFL Draft’s Round 1.

San Francisco 49ers

Foster is a plug-and-play starter, if healthy, and he’ll join a healthy (hopefully) NaVorro Bowman and likely Malcolm Smith, who was picked up as a free agent this offseason.

San Francisco also added free agents Brock Coyle and Dekoda Watson this offseason to contribute on special teams. They’re probably safe, for now.

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks is an aging commodity and, every offseason, it seems as if we’re talking about him being cut. This season could see it happening, especially if the 49ers have anything better an option.

Two of the tougher linebacker futures to decipher are with Ray-Ray Armstrong and Eli Harold.

Armstrong was arguably San Francisco’s best linebacker before suffering a season-ending pectoral injury early in 2016. The ability to double as a safety makes him a bit more useful. And third-year pro Eli Harold flashed a small amount of promise late in the year too. But it might be too little, too late.

San Francisco keeps, potentially, five or six linebackers here depending on special teams.

Locks: NaVorro Bowman, Reuben Foster, Malcolm Smith

Good Shape: Aaron Lynch, Brock Coyle

Strong Bubble: Ray-Ray Armstrong, Eli Harold, Dekoda Watson

Weak Bubble: Ahmad Brooks

Defensive Line

Arik Armstead, Ronald Blair, DeForest Buckner, Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial, Chris Jones, D.J. Jones, Earl Mitchell, Pita Taumoepenu, Solomon Thomas

San Francisco used its first picks in the last two NFL Drafts to bulk up the offensive line, with Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

This year, the first overall addition was former Stanford standout Solomon Thomas.

With free-agent nose tackle Earl Mitchell pegged to start as well, the 49ers will have to do some adjusting along their defensive line to make room for everyone.

Part of the plan will be to set Armstead as the LEO, or right defensive end, in Robert Saleh’s 4-3 base. This is probably a good thing, since Armstead isn’t particularly great against the run.

Sixth-round draftee D.J. Jones is an enticing pick. His 6-foot-1, 319-pound frame is ideal for a nose tackle position in Saleh’s defense. He’ll be the primary backup to Mitchell, and one should expect him to be a regular part of the rotation.

All this may push out some of the older members of San Francisco’s defensive line — guys like Quinton Dial and the underachieving Tank Carradine.

D-lines tend to be deep in 4-3 schemes, so look for around seven players to be kept here.

Locks: Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Earl Mitchell, Solomon Thomas

Good Shape: Ronald Blair, Quinton Dial, D.J. Jones

Strong Bubble: Tank Carradine, Pita Taumoepenu

Weak Bubble: Chris Jones

Offensive Line

Tim Barnes, Zane Beadles, Trent Brown, Brandon Fusco, Joshua Garnett, Garry Gilliam, Daniel Kilgore, Norman Price, Joe Staley, John Theus, Jeremy Zuttah

The NFL Draft didn’t provide solid offensive line options, but the Niners still managed to make some moves this offseason.

Chief among these were four pickups of veteran players — Jeremy Zuttah in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, Garry Gilliam from the Seattle Seahawks and free-agent signings of Tim Barnes and Brandon Fusco.

Fusco was a regular starter for the Minnesota Vikings last season, so he’ll compete for one of the starting guard positions with incumbents Zane Beadles and Joshua Garnett. Another position battle between Zuttah and Daniel Kilgore is expected at center. The loser may also add to depth at guard.

Beadles, who posted a disappointing 40.2 Pro Football Focus grade last year, could be the first starter to go. But his versatility at tackle and even center makes him a useful backup.

And despite a disappointing rookie 2016 campaign, it’s still a bit too early to give up on right guard Joshua Garnett just yet.

Expect the Niners to keep one swing tackle and an interior backup, making at least seven O-linemen on the roster.

Locks: Joshua Garnett, Daniel Kilgore, Joe Staley, Jeremy Zuttah

Good Shape: Zane Beadles, Trent Brown, Brandon Fusco

Strong Bubble: Tim Barnes, Garry Gilliam

Weak Bubble: Norman Price, John Theus

Tight End

Blake Bell, Garrett Celek, George Kittle, Vance McDonald, Logan Paulsen

The 49ers tried to move tight end Vance McDonald just before the NFL Draft, but nothing happened.

That alone suggests McDonald’s tenure in San Francisco may be short. Especially with the Niners adding a very talented TE in Iowa’s George Kittle in Round 5.

Related Story: TE George Kittle May Be the Steal of the NFL Draft

San Francisco also inked blocking tight end Logan Paulsen via free agency. He won’t be too much a receiving weapon. But he understands head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme from their days with the Washington Redskins, so he’ll be the mentor for the rest of this group.

As for the rest? Well, it’s going to be an uphill climb for likely three roster spots.

Locks: George Kittle, Logan Paulsen

Good Shape: Vance McDonald

Strong Bubble: Garrett Celek

Weak Bubble: Blake Bell

Wide Receiver

Aaron Burbridge, DeAndre Carter, Bruce Ellington, Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley, Aldrick Robinson, Rashad Ross, DeAndre Smelter, Trent Taylor

Another potential steal in the NFL Draft ended up being former Louisiana Tech slot receiver Trent Taylor in Round 5.

He joins a plethora of offseason additions highlighted by Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and Aldrick Robinson.

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Garcon and Robinson worked under head coach Kyle Shanahan in Washington and with the Atlanta Falcons, respectively. So, like tight end Logan Paulsen on the previous slide, they’ll act as the offensive mentors for this crop.

San Francisco also inked 2016 standout Jeremy Kerley to a three-year contract this offseason, so he’ll be safely in the mix.

As for the rest, especially those returning to the Niners from last season? Well, it’s not good news. It’s likely Shanahan prefers offseason-added depth like Rashad Ross and DeAndre Carter over guys like Aaron Burbridge, Bruce Ellington and DeAndre Smelter.

Expect the 49ers to keep at least five, perhaps six, receivers on offense.

Locks: Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley, Aldrick Robinson

Good Shape: Rashad Ross, Trent Taylor

Strong Bubble: DeAndre Carter

Weak Bubble: Aaron Burbridge, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Smelter

Running Back

Kapri Bibbs, Mike Davis, DuJuan Harris, Tim Hightower, Carlos Hyde, Kyle Juszczyk, Raheem Mostert, Joe Williams

General manager John Lynch made some overtures about No. 1 tailback Carlos Hyde and expecting more from him this upcoming season.

Read into that what you may, but there’s a good chance the Niners are thinking about moving on from Hyde at some point in the not-so-distant future. He’ll be fine for now, but it’s something to chew on.

San Francisco did make some additions before, and during, the draft though. The Niners re-signed DuJuan Harris, added Tim Hightower, traded for Kapril Bibbs and landed former Utah tailback Joe Williams in Round 4.

Williams might end up being a better fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system down the line, but he’ll likely be a complementary back in year one.

Oh, and we can’t ignore the free-agent signing of fullback Kyle Juszczyk either.

Juszczyk is an easy lock. But what about the likely remaining three running back spots?

Update: The 49ers released Mike Davis on May 4, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Locks: Carlos Hyde, Kyle Juszczyk, Joe Williams

Good Shape: Tim Hightower

Strong Bubble: Kapri Bibbs, DuJuan Harris

Weak Bubble: Raheem Mostert

Quarterback

Matt Barkley, C.J. Beathard, Brian Hoyer

San Francisco went from having zero quarterbacks on its roster earlier this offseason to basically knowing its depth chart long before training camp even begins.

Veteran journeyman QB Brian Hoyer will start this season, barring injury. And the only real competition will be for his backup. And this falls between free-agent addition Matt Barkley and third-round draftee C.J. Beathard.

Beathard was a bit of a surprising pickup, especially considering the Niners traded back up into Round 3 to land him. Apparently though, Beathard was the lone QB head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted in this year’s draft class.

Despite this, Beathard won’t have a shot at starting early in this season. But it’s also doubtful Shanahan risks placing him on the practice squad, especially if he feels the quarterback has all the traits he’s looking for under center.

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So that likely means the Niners keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. If anything, Barkley could be an odd man out.

That’s a remote possibility though.

Locks: C.J. Beathard, Brian Hoyer

Good Shape: Matt Barkley

Niner Noise will start exploring the best position battles to watch during OTAs, training camp and the preseason this year.

A few positions — quarterback being one of them — are all but set. The only question will be for depth.

Next: 49ers NFL Draft Recap: San Francisco's Best & Worst Picks from 2017

Until practices start taking place, which moves do you think the 49ers will make as they try to trim the roster down to 53 players?