What each 49ers 2021 draftee must do to make 2022 roster

The 49ers are hoping the trend of second-year players taking a massive leap rings true in 2022, and these 2021 NFL Draft picks have to fill some big shoes.

There are plenty of football cliches out there, and some are truer than others.

For many, the notion of players making their biggest leaps between a first NFL season and year two is an absolute truth. No longer fresh-faced rookies, second-year pros are expected to avoid the pitfalls that can often accompany a sophomore slump.

It doesn’t always work that way, though.

In 2018, then-rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis impressed enough late in the year, only to fall into head coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse the following season and off the San Francisco 49ers’ roster altogether the very next year.

The Niners have to hope all eight of their 2021 NFL Draft picks don’t suffer the same fate.

Some have far easier paths to the 2022 53-man roster than others, of course, yet the same nature of competition and battles will nevertheless take place through training camp and the preseason.

So, with one full year in the books, let’s go through each of San Francisco’s 2021 draft picks and break down what each has to do to make the regular-season roster this year.

Round 1: 49ers QB Trey Lance — stay healthy

The 49ers’ prized possession from the 2021 draft, quarterback Trey Lance, not only is poised to enter year two of his pro career as the team’s starter, but he’s also expected to live up to the pressure of being the No. 3 overall pick.

Lance is expected to take over from his predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo, who remains on the roster and could feasibly compete for the starting job if the Niners unwisely decide to keep him into 2022.

But that does nothing to jeopardize Lance’s spot on the 53-man roster.

The only concern San Francisco has regarding Lance being active in Week 1 is the injury front. While it’s not necessarily a massive worry point, Lance did deal with a broken finger and then a knee injury over the course of his rookie season, so we can’t say he’s got a clean slate of health at the pro level, unfortunately.

Barring that, however, Lance merely has to show up to survive roster cuts.