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San Francisco 49ers: Full 2018 depth-chart predictions ahead of Week 1

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 09: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi's Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 09: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi's Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Kicker Robbie Gould #9 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts with punter Bradley Pinion #5 after kicking a second quarter field goal during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Kicker Robbie Gould #9 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts with punter Bradley Pinion #5 after kicking a second quarter field goal during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers have made their roster cuts, assembled their practice squad and have a 53-man roster. Here are Niner Noise’s depth-chart predictions for Week 1.

We now know which players will comprise the San Francisco 49ers‘ 53-man roster just out of roster cut-downs, which wrapped up on Sept. 1. And if you’re looking for the list of players the Niners parted ways with, just click here and here.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s roster in advance of Week 1 is set. At least for now. There’s likely to be some minor shifting and changes ahead of the team’s first game of 2018 against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 9.

A big impact, of course, is seeing running back Jerick McKinnon fall victim to a torn ACL on the final rep of Saturday’s practice.

At the time of this article’s creation, the Niners haven’t placed McKinnon on season-ending injured reserve, which would open up an additional roster spot. But we’ll go ahead and project a move to replace McKinnon.

Will it be another running back, though?

Either way, here’s our predictions for what San Francisco’s depth chart will look like when the team takes on the Vikings in Week 1.

Note: Backups listed in italics. All players listed are currently on San Francisco’s roster (making the 53-man projection short of the actual number).

Editor’s update: McKinnon has gone to IR, as has safety Marcell Harris, and the Niners added defensive back Antone Exum and offensive lineman Matt Tobin.

Special Teams

Kicker: Robbie Gould

Punter: Bradley Pinion

Long-Snapper: Kyle Nelson

No real surprises here. The 49ers got excellent production out of veteran kicker Robbie Gould, who led the entire NFL with 39 field goals made in 2017 and whose 95.1 field-goal percentage ranked second among all kickers.

There was a little punting battle in training camp between Bradley Pinion and Jeff Locke, although Pinion won out to no one’s surprise.

One should expect some interesting developments in the return game, but we’ll list those players with their respective positions later.