Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 positions to upgrade and how to upgrade them

By Jeremy Wohlfart

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Reuben Foster #56 and Brock Coyle #50 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after tackling Tyler Lockett #16 of the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Reuben Foster #56 and Brock Coyle #50 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after tackling Tyler Lockett #16 of the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

No.3: Linebacker

Why the position must be addressed:

Reuben Foster played excellent football as a rookie, but was injured for a good portion of it and was then arrested. Malcolm Smith never made it to Week 1 and Brock Coyle was decent in relief work, but definitely can be upgraded.

How it can be addressed:

In this article, a case is made for Paul Posluszny:

"Posluszny played under current San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh when he was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ linebackers coach from 2014-16. The two are very familiar with each other, and there’s no documented beef between the two. A reunion wouldn’t be the worst idea, and would provide Foster an outstanding mentor as he moves into his sophomore season."

I think this actually is a good point. Veteran leadership is just what Foster needs, and Posluszny can be a good stopgap.

SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Eric Reid #35 and Brock Coyle #50 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Reid intercepted a pass against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Eric Reid #35 and Brock Coyle #50 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Reid intercepted a pass against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

In the draft, don’t rule out Roquan Smith from Georgia or Tremaine Edwards from Virginia Tech to give Foster a partner in crime, or as I suggested in my previous article, someone like Darius Leonard on day two could make sense.