49ers depth chart: 4 position battles to watch during OTAs

While the 49ers’ starters in 2021 are mostly set, there are some key depth-chart battles that will unfold during the team’s organized team activities.

For the most part, there isn’t going to be a lot of drama surrounding the San Francisco 49ers‘ 22 different starting positions on offense and defense between now and Week 1. While fans will center around the eventual quarterback transition of power from Jimmy Garoppolo to the rookie, Trey Lance, the likelihood is that shift takes place some point late this upcoming season at the soonest.

Perhaps even 2022.

Only two or three starting jobs are up for grabs this season, and even those are essentially limited to starting-caliber candidates. The real competition heats up for spots deeper down the depth chart, and a number of positions could see some notable power grabs between now and Week 1.

The Niners kick off the next phase of their offseason program with organized team activities, beginning on Monday, May 24 and wrapping up on Thursday, June 10. While these padless workouts are intended more to get players back into gameday shape, there are going to be some key takeaways, risers and fallers heading towards training camp later this summer.

Here are four position battles fans will want to pay attention to during the OTA workouts.

49ers OTA Battle No. 4: Running back pecking order

Veterans typically don’t spend a lot of time working out during OTAs, so it’s unlikely No. 1 running back Raheem Mostert gets a lot of action during this phase.

Yet the depth behind him is completely up for grabs, and head coach Kyle Shanahan has a history of letting his rushers essentially define their own roles during the offseason.

The two NFL Draft additions of Trey Sermon (Round 3) and Elijah Mitchell (Round 6) infuse two fresh faces into what is already a pretty crowded halfback room, which includes Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Wayne Gallman and JaMycal Hasty. Shanahan isn’t likely to keep five halfbacks on his roster, so at least two of these six names total will probably end up being off the roster between now and Week 1.

Padless contact means plenty of open-field opportunities for running backs to showcase their speed skills, moves and any pass-catching abilities without having to feature any sort of strength to break tackles.

This could be where rookies like Sermon and Mitchell make their note, perhaps overtaking veteran players like Gallman or even Wilson.

Or, just as possibly, the two first-year players wind up being relegated to third-string units after failing to impress enough.