SF 49ers: Post-2021 draft bubble watch for 53-man roster

The SF 49ers filled out their roster with 90 players after the 2021 NFL Draft, but more than half already find themselves on the bubble in one way or another.

The SF 49ers didn’t have too many roster voids to fill heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. And after their eight selections on draft day, the Niners were only able to bring aboard four undrafted free agents to get the offseason crop up to its usual 90 players ahead of minicamps and OTAs.

One of the measures both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan had, particularly on day three of the NFL Draft, was to look at players who had the best chance of making the regular-season 53-man roster. And that probably influenced some of San Francisco’s UDFA selections, too.

There’s a lot yet to be determined between now and the formation of the Week 1 roster. Offseason workouts, such as minicamps and OTAs, are going to alter some things. So will training camp and whatever amounts to a preseason.

Also, with the draft concluded, there are going to be the inevitable backend changes to the offseason roster, too.

To evaluate the bubble-watch players in an attempt to predict the opening 53-man roster, let’s break it all down into four categories:

• Locks (barring something crazy, they’ll make it)
• Strong bubble (not locks, but looking pretty good)
• Weak bubble (it’ll take a lot for them to make the cut)
• Long shot (so, you’re saying there’s a chance)

Position by position, there are going to be players who fall into the respective categories based on depth, need and contract status.

Although the first on our list here, special teams, doesn’t exactly have a lot of drama.