49ers: 5 players who will have bigger roles in 2018

With the San Francisco 49ers’ 2017 season coming to a close, Niner Noise looks forward to what current players will have bigger roles next season.

Ever since general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived at San Francisco, the team has faced a complete rebuild.

The front office got rid of most of the players acquired by former general manager Trent Baalke, and brought in specific players that suited the new coaches’ systems. These players have not disappointed and have showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season.

These are five players that will possess a bigger role next season, and fittingly, they all come from the new regime.

No. 5: RB Matt Breida

An undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern University, Matt Breida has had a rookie season to remember, filling in Kyle Shanahan’s No. 2 running back position in his two-back system. Breida has explosive playmaking skills that can blow the field wide open, as he displayed against the Jacksonville Jaguars where he utilized his elusive speed to run for thirty yards into the end zone to seal the game for the 49ers.

Watch his quickness here:

Breida’s ball-carrier vision is outstanding, as he often finds open holes to run through and makes smart decisions. Despite his relatively small 5-foot-11 and 190-pound frame, he possesses some power as well. Breida does not go down easily, and that is special for a change-of-pace back like himself.

With starting running back Carlos Hyde set to become a free agent this offseason, look for Breida to maintain his No. 2 role as a change-of-pace back. However, the rookie has displayed superior skills in his first season.

Shanahan knows what he is capable of, and with the right amount of hard work put in the offseason, Breida has earned more playing time and more chances to win games for the 49ers.

No. 4: S Adrian Colbert

To be honest, I did not expect much out of Adrian Colbert when he was drafted. Who gets that excited about a seventh-round safety? There are a plethora of defensive backs selected in the draft, and the ones who fall all the way down to the last round of the draft usually do not possess a lot of talent.

Adrian Colbert was looking to prove NFL GM’s and other doubters, like myself, wrong, and he let it be known after he got drafted with this tweet:

https://twitter.com/AdrianColbert25/status/858447682020552705

And I am proud to say that he proved us all wrong.

When safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt got hurt, Colbert slid into the starting lineup against the New York Giants and immediately impressed, earning four tackles and two pass breakups, including one where he absolutely lit up the intended target. The rookie has done nothing but impress since then, and now he is Pro Football Focus‘ No. 4 graded rookie safety.

Fans are labeling him as a steal, and he deserves every bit of praise that he gets. Colbert brings an aggressive mentality to the defensive unit, and looks like a leader already.

With Eric Reid looking to find his way out of San Francisco this offseason, the 49ers should trade or put Jimmie Ward at cornerback and start Colbert at safety next season, with Jaquiski Tartt, who has impressed this year, alongside him.

No. 3: FB Kyle Juszczyk

When the 49ers signed Kyle Juszczyk in free agency, John Lynch labeled him not as a fullback, but as an offensive weapon, “OW” for short. In the first eleven games of the season, Juszczyk was not an OW, but just an ordinary fullback. All he did was block in the running game and get the occasional run.

However, since quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo got the start for the 49ers, Juszczyk has turned into the OW that the fans were promised, averaging 44 receiving yards per game, which doesn’t seem like a lot. However, ever since Garoppolo entered the starting lineup, Juszczyk has made big plays happen for the 49ers offense.

Brian Baldinger gives a great analysis on how Juszczyk can be a mismatch for opposing linebackers covering him.

Fortunately, Garoppolo will be starting at quarterback for the whole season next year. He seems to like throwing to this OW.

Expect a much more productive season from Juszczyk next year.

No. 2: TE George Kittle

The George Kittle hype train was in full force in the offseason, with fans proclaiming that he was the next Rob Gronkowski, and Brian Hoyer saying that the Iowa offense should have revolved more around Kittle when he was in college.

The hype soon died down with the fourth-round pick, as he seemed to get injured every week in practice in preseason. Kittle also had a case of the drops early in the season, not being able to hold onto a lot of balls thrown his way.

And then, all of a sudden, veteran tight end Garrett Celek started making big plays for the 49ers, leading to the “Celek Time” craze around the organization and its fans. It looked like the rookie was now no more than the No. 2 tight end on the roster.

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However, Celek had to exit the game against the Tennessee Titans with an injury after catching a touchdown early in the game, leaving Kittle as the tight end on the field. The rookie ended up making a crucial 24-yard catch on a game-winning drive to get the team into field-goal range.

The next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense, Kittle stayed hot, converting an early third down with a phenomenal 13-yard grab where he had to leap in the air to catch the ball while getting hit hard by Jacksonville safety Barry Church. I was at the game and had no idea how Kittle caught the ball.

Later in the game, Kittle caught a touchdown in triple coverage, displaying his raw potential as a tight end.

And may I remind you again that this is against the No. 1 pass defense in the league?

As much as I love Celek Time, it is Kittle’s time to shine. Celek is getting up there in age for a tight end at 29 years old, and he was brought in by former GM Trent Baalke.

By working on softening his hands a little, Kittle is the future at tight end, and it should show next season.

No. 1: ILB Malcolm Smith

The first 49ers game I actually watched was the NFC Championship against the Seahawks in 2014. I didn’t know anything about football at the time, but a friend had told me to watch and I wanted to support my home team, so I watched.

And to this day, nothing hurts more than seeing Malcolm Smith intercept Kaepernick’s ball in the end zone to stamp a Super Bowl ticket for the Seahawks.

Super Bowl MVP and two years with the Raiders later, Smith is now on the 49ers. I was conflicted when John Lynch signed him in free agency because of complaints from my Raiders friends about how he was a liability, but he had a great training camp. Unfortunately, he tore his pectoral during the open practice and was placed on injured reserve.

Smith should slide into the starting lineup next season alongside Reuben Foster in coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense, with the two commanding the middle of the field. Inside linebacker Brock Coyle, who has been impressive in Smith’s absence, should rotate with Smith on passing downs.

Next: 3 reasons why the 49ers make the playoffs in 2018

With Smith back, the defense will get a big upgrade.

Can it be September 2018 already?