10 players who won’t be on 49ers 53-man roster come Week 1
By Peter Panacy
No. 9: 49ers cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields
The same situation facing Deommodore Lenoir is also facing another one of the 49ers’ rookies, their sixth-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, former Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields.
Castro-Fields might have faced an easier time making the 53-man roster, at least as a depth option and someone who could contribute on special teams, but that was before the Niners re-signed Jason Verrett.
Even then, late selections on day three of any NFL Draft almost always face a stiff challenge and often find themselves in better contention for placement on the practice squad as opposed to a 53-man roster.
Particularly for a team like San Francisco that didn’t exactly have too many positions up for grabs entering 2022.
In all likelihood, Castro-Fields is going to have to prove he can beat out someone like Dontae Johnson, which doesn’t seem too likely given the 49ers’ apparent affinity with the latter.
Seriously, could you see the Niners going with a raw rookie over Johnson? Probably not.