Linebacker
MIKE: NaVorro Bowman
WILL: Reuben Foster
SAM: Eli Harold
Backups: Ray-Ray Armstrong, Brock Coyle, Dekoda Watson
This is a fairly easy projection to make.
Rookie linebacker Reuben Foster was one of the top 49ers storylines in the preseason. His ball-tracking skills and hard-hitting tackles certainly reminding Niners fans of another young linebacker from the previous decade, Patrick Willis:
He and MIKE linebacker NaVorro Bowman are going to be fun to watch.
The only interesting point of note is whether or not third-year pro Eli Harold can live up to starting-caliber expectations. Harold, of course, was promoted in this way after San Francisco parted ways with Ahmad Brooks earlier this preseason.
Depth could be a bit of a concern here, but the linebacker group looks vastly improved over what we saw in 2016.