Rethinking 49ers 53-man roster after first wave of 2021 cuts

49ers Linebackers (5)

MLB Fred Warner

WLB Dre Greenlaw

SLB Mychal Kendricks

LB Azeez Al-Shaair

LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

LB: LB Marcell Harris, LB Jonas Griffith

Another group that more or less takes care of itself, especially at the top of the group, with All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner hoping to build upon his spectacular 2020 season and his new contract extension.

Next to him will be Dre Greenlaw, who has gone from fifth-round draft pick to one of the NFL’s more solid linebackers in just a few seasons. He’s not to Warner’s level by any stretch of the imagination, but like the former BYU star, he fits the physical bill of the modern NFL linebacker, especially one who can focus much of his time in coverage.

Beyond that, the remaining two to three slots come down to probably five potential players: Azeez Al-Shaair and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, both of whom made the team in 2020, converted safety Marcell Harris, rookie undrafted free agent Jonas Griffith, and recently-signed veteran Mychal Kendricks.

Al-Shaair and Flannigan-Fowles are now vets in the 49ers defensive systems and excellent special teams contributors, so look for them to both make the roster, even with both currently mending from injuries, meaning it’ll come down to Harris, Griffith, and Kendricks for the final spot.

For now, we’ll hand it to the veteran linebacker, who has immediately been inserted as the team’s SAM linebacker in practice, although Griffith has certainly shown enough to be given a shot if the Kendrick experiment fails.