SF 49ers: Post-2021 draft bubble watch for 53-man roster
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers bubble watch: Tight End
Lock: Ross Dwelley, George Kittle
Strong bubble: Charlie Woerner
Weak bubble: Daniel Helm
Long shot: Josh Pederson*
The Niners already have the best tight end in the game in All-Pro George Kittle, yet the desire to find a complementary No. 2 option for the long run remains elusive.
Ross Dwelley has more or less handled that role the last three seasons, and it’s not expected to change much heading into 2021 now that veteran tight end Jordan Reed retired during the offseason.
Behind those two, however, things are a bit murkier.
San Francisco added Louisiana-Monroe tight end Josh Pederson as a UDFA, and he might have an outsider’s chance to potentially crack the practice squad if anything. His best bet would be to unseat the regularly on-again, off-again rosteree Daniel Helm on the depth chart somehow.
Ideally, the SF 49ers would like to hone and craft second-year pro Charlie Woerner’s route-running skills. In college at Georgia, Woerner was known almost entirely for being a quality run-blocking tight end, unfortunately meaning any time he’s on the field at the NFL level, the Niners are calling for a run play.
Developing Woerner’s pass-catching skills would go a long way towards changing this look.