49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Offensive lineman Najee Toran

The San Francisco 49ers picked up undrafted rookie offensive lineman Najee Toran in 2018 holding him on the practice squad for much of the season. Is the same in store for Toran in 2019?

Most teams typically carry at least one or two developmental offensive linemen on their practice squad during the regular season, and the San Francisco 49ers made former UCLA lineman Najee Toran such a player after picking him up as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

Toran spent a brief few weeks on the Niners’ regular-season roster his rookie season, but he never saw action and was waived back onto the practice squad in October of last year.

It’s hard to gauge what the future holds for Toran entering year two of his pro career. For starters, UCLA’s offensive line in 2017 wasn’t particularly great, although Toran was arguably one of the few bright spots here along with now-Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Kolton Miller.

San Francisco didn’t massively overhaul its offensive line backups in 2019, although there are some changes which could ultimately affect Toran’s hold on a possible roster spot or a return to the practice squad.

Why Najee Toran Improves in 2019

Toran had a better reputation in college as a pass blocker, and one can hope the 6-foot-2, 305 pounder refined these abilities over the course of his rookie year without having to get overwhelmed by NFL-level in-game competition.

Yet Toran wasn’t exactly a top-notch run blocker when he came out. If this aspect of his game has improved since 2018, it should make him a much more well-rounded developmental player.

From some recollections, he held his own decently enough during preseason action last year. But that was primarily with third-string units. He’ll need to jump up the depth chart to take advantage of any improvement.

Why Najee Toran Regresses

Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive line is built on run blocking, and this still isn’t Toran’s strength. There’s always the chance it got better over the past year. But until these efforts are witnessed in training camp and the preseason, it remains an open-ended question mark.

Toran could wind up being little more than a camp body, filling those holes on the back end of the 90-man offseason roster. And it’s going to be difficult getting quality reps with third-string units, which is where he’ll likely be to kick off camp.

Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2019

Two names the Niners added during the offseason likely stand in Toran’s way of making the regular-season squad: the veteran, Ben Garland, and undrafted rookie Ross Reynolds.

Reynolds, a quality run blocker, is a player to watch. He has a realistic shot of making the 53-man roster, which doesn’t bode well for Toran’s chances. Toran will have to simply outperform a player like Reynolds to have the slightest of shots.

That’s essentially where Toran stands heading into training camp. It’s likely he’ll see action during the second half of the first three preseason games of 2019, possibly being a Week 4 preseason starter.

After that, Toran’s best chances to hang around are likely on the practice squad once again. It does say something Toran managed to land here last season, got himself promoted and then signed a reserve/future contract at the end of last year.

Whether or not that’s an indication the 49ers want to keep him around, though, is another matter. He remains on the fringe of the fringes right now.