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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting the 5 most surprising roster cuts of 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 01: Joshua Garnett #65 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers ran in for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 01: Joshua Garnett #65 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after Shaun Draughn #24 of the San Francisco 49ers ran in for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 29: Outside linebacker Eli Harold #58 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes the line of scrimmage against tight end Virgil Green #85 of the Denver Broncos during preseason action at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 29, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the 49ers 19-12. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 29: Outside linebacker Eli Harold #58 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes the line of scrimmage against tight end Virgil Green #85 of the Denver Broncos during preseason action at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 29, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the 49ers 19-12. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Linebacker Eli Harold

Reuben Foster’s availability for at most 14 regular-season games this season has an effect on another linebacker, Eli Harold, as Niner Noise’s Chris Wilson pointed out earlier this offseason:

"More from Niner Noise 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet  2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar Although 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh implements a 4-3 defensive scheme with a combination of “over” and “under” fronts, it is not a three-stacked-linebacker scheme. Instead, the 49ers use two nearly identical inside linebackers — the MIKE and WILL linebackers — and one outside linebacker, who is referred to as the SAM linebacker, but doesn’t always line up on the strong side of the formation. With Foster likely playing WILL — where he excelled in 2017 — the 49ers have a four-man competition at MIKE, between Malcolm Smith, Fred Warner, Brock Coyle and Korey Toomer."

One of Warner’s strengths in college was the ability to play in coverage. Almost “like a safety,” as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted.

Strong-side (SAM) linebackers typically handle coverage duties in Saleh’s defense. It’s one of the reasons why Harold had just 26 tackles and two sacks last season.

In this, though, Harold wasn’t exactly a top performer. Pro Football Focus gave the fourth-year pro a 49.6 pass-coverage grade last year, and he actually graded out better against the run (55.0), although not by much.

With both Toomer and Smith excelling against the run, and Warner able to manage coverage, there simply might not be a spot for Harold to hold onto in 2018.