San Francisco 49ers: 5 early predictions for the 53-man roster
By Robert Smith
With free agency and the 2017 NFL Draft now in their rearviews, teams are well into their minicamps with an eye toward training camps. The process of sorting through players comprising the 2017 version of the San Francisco 49ers begins now. Niner Noise looks at five predictions for the final 53-man roster come September.
Yes, it’s way too early to actually predict the San Francisco 49ers’ final roster, especially since the team has not even started training camp.
And it is true we have no idea how the rookies and free agents will perform until we go live on the 2017 season.
But that will not deter us from looking into our crystal ball and making some predictions on who makes the final cut.
San Francisco 49ers
With nearly half the roster changed out, since taking over for former general manager Trent Baalke, new GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have already made it known there will be plenty of competition at nearly every position on both sides of the ball.
The 90-man roster is nearly set. But the team will face plenty of tough decisions to trim it back down to 53 come September.
With free-agent signings, the 2017 NFL Draft picks and some UDFAs, the team has used any and all avenues to infuse this team with more talent.
Shanahan will have new toys to play with on offense, and new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s “Seattle defense” has added talent to a group that already had some talent to work with but may have been working in a defensive scheme that did not take full advantage of the skill set they have.
The competition promises to be heated at so many positions on both sides of the ball — a byproduct of going 2-14 and the amount of turnover that has already taken place.
Lynch and Co. let it be known there really is no position player that can relax on their laurels, which should push players to reach their maximum talent level, or face being cut, before the season opener against the Carolina Panthers.
So with that said, here are five predictions for the 53-man roster that may (or may not) surprise you.