4 first-year 49ers who could steal starting jobs in 2021
By Peter Panacy
While there are only a handful of 49ers starting positions up for grabs in 2021, these four first-year players could end up being surprise starters.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have used a simple and understandable approach to their last two NFL Draft classes, especially in the later rounds.
Find players who stand the best chances of making the 53-man roster once the regular season rolls around.
As far as the Niners’ 2021 draft class is concerned, the bulk of the back end of picks is likely tabbed for reserve duty with potentially long-term possibilities of becoming starters with some further development.
Yet there are still a number of first-year players who could end up being thrust into starting roles, especially with the knowledge Shanahan won’t hesitate to go with whoever winds up being atop the competition by the time training camp and the preseason conclude.
Here are four such rookies who could end up stealing starting gigs in 2021.
49ers Rookie No. 4: RB Trey Sermon
In a way, San Francisco’s first of two third-round draft picks, Ohio State running back Trey Sermon, already got some first-team work in during organized team activities, thanks to No. 1 running back Raheem Mostert being held out a good portion of these sessions with a minor knee injury.
By all accounts, Sermon performed well during these padless, tackling-less workouts. So that might increase his stock value heading into camp, potentially pushing him towards more first-team work.
Related Story: Why Trey Sermon takes over as Niners’ starting running back in 2021
In Shanahan’s offense, it’s not necessarily important who winds up starting at running back. Often, Shanahan will feature one rusher in the first half, only to submit someone else as more of a home-run threat after halftime.
It’s possible this is what he has in mind for Sermon and Mostert, meaning the rookie would get the start before giving way to the faster Mostert. But with Mostert having an injury history and also being 29 years old, it’s just as likely Sermon winds up being more of a bell cow-type running back and seeing significantly more carries than his older counterpart.