49ers’ 4 biggest remaining holes ahead of 2022 NFL Draft

The 49ers are fortunate enough not to have too many glaring weaknesses on their roster before the 2022 NFL Draft, but these four spots need some help.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have never been shy about looking to upgrade any given position when possible.

This is a decent position to be in, too, especially when the Niners (mostly) boast a playoff-caliber roster heading into 2022. And while the team ultimately failed to move quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at the start of the league new year, which could have freed up more money to attack free agency, a relatively small cast of free-agent additions suggests they’re content enough with the bulk of players they have rostered right now.

However, with the 2022 NFL Draft fast approaching, the opportunity to infuse some cheap, younger talent will be there as well.

While having to wait until late in Round 2 to make its first selection, San Francisco can nevertheless look to plug some roster gaps with some of the nine picks at its disposal.

Knowing which holes on the roster exist will be paramount for Shanahan and Lynch, too, so let’s go ahead and break down the four biggest ones needing to be reinforced.

49ers hole No. 4: Strong safety

There’s still a possibility the 49ers look to bring back veteran strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, who remains a free agent as of this writing. However, with the Niners onboarding former Indianapolis Colts safety George Odum, primarily a special teams ace over his four-year career, it’s possible Tartt has been jettisoned for good.

Odum’s role might increase with San Francisco in contrast to what he was asked to do with the Indianapolis Colts previously, him having started only 10 games during his career. And if the 49ers aren’t totally comfortable with that prospect, they could feasibly turn to backup safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Tarvarius Moore.

However, Hufanga’s coverage deficiencies were on display for much of last season. While he was still a rookie, Hufanga’s 60.2 pass-coverage grade from Pro Football Focus leaves enough to be desired.

And Moore is working his way back from a 2021 offseason Achilles tear.

There are a number of good-quality safeties to be had in this year’s draft, so it wouldn’t be overly shocking to see the Niners use a day-two pick to get an upgrade over those three options.