4 veterans who’ll be pushed off 49ers roster by 2021 draft picks
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers are already using OTAs to help determine whether or not these four veterans should stay around after 2021 NFL Draft rookie additions.
There’s a long way to go between now and when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has to make the ultimate decision on which players he elects to keep around on the 53-man roster heading into Week 1.
For now, organized team activities are the best evidence of on-field workouts we have. And aside from what players have done recently in previous years, it’s hard to completely gauge just where first-year rookies will fit into the mix.
Case in point, rookie quarterback Trey Lance isn’t going to push the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo, off the Niners roster. At least not now. Perhaps not for some time.
Yet there are a number of other veteran players whose jobs are squarely in jeopardy because of San Francisco’s first-year player additions from last month. And while rookies are just that, rookies, the combination of expectation and potential could ultimately mean these four veterans find themselves out of a job by the time the preseason concludes later this summer.
No. 4: 49ers Offensive Guard Tom Compton
The 49ers added two linemen in the NFL Draft, Aaron Banks in Round 2 and Jaylon Moore in Round 5.
Banks is a top candidate to start at right guard, which is where journeyman veteran lineman Tom Compton saw the bulk of his field time with the Niners a year ago in the wake of numerous injuries to the offensive line.
Surprisingly, in the wake of Compton’s struggles last year, San Francisco elected to bring him back on a one-year deal. And while it makes more than enough sense to have veteran depth, Compton’s hold on a roster spot is in serious jeopardy with Moore another potential candidate to secure an interior spot despite primarily being used as a tackle at the collegiate level.
OTAs don’t allow for contact, so it’s tough to gauge specifically how well each lineman is doing. But once training camp and the preseason roll around, should Moore look even halfway promising, it’s likely Compton winds up being one of a number of odd linemen out by Week 1.