49ers roster: 3 players guaranteed to be better in 2021

The 49ers are counting on some key players showing some notable improvement in 2021, and these three should improve dramatically.

In a way, the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2020 campaign was a bonus for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

While the 6-10 finish was anything but ideal, and no one wanted to account for the overwhelming rash of injuries, at least one of the positives stemming from last season was the provide some hard looks at the roster, which led to some of the big-time moves made during the subsequent offseason.

Including the No. 3 overall NFL Draft selection of quarterback Trey Lance.

Lance is the heir apparent to the Niners’ current starter, Jimmy Garoppolo. But even with the competition, Garoppolo might not be pushed to perform better than he showcased last year. Even with a notably full 2019 crop of surrounding talent, Garoppolo was arguably just above OK. Not much more.

Garoppolo might not be a name to mention on this kind of list. Perhaps he’ll be marginally better, but San Francisco is going to move on from him anyway. And there’s always the chance Lance starts in Week 1, too.

Other players, however, should see some notable improvement from 2020 to 2021.

Whether it be additional talent now installed around them, either through offseason moves or guys coming back from injuries, another year immersed in the system or whatever, there are going to be players who wind up performing at higher levels than what was seen a year ago.

Let’s take a look at three specific players who are guaranteed to perform better in 2021 than they did in 2020.