49ers roster: Predicting 16-man practice squad to open up 2022

The 49ers will still enjoy NFL rules that allow for 16 players on the practice squad, including as many as six veterans with unlimited accrued seasons.

Predicting any NFL team’s regular-season roster to open up the year comes with a massive caveat: That same roster will look vastly different from Week 1 to the time the regular season comes to a close.

The same goes with practice squads, although there’s understandably far less attention given to this developmental/reserve group.

Heading into 2022, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan already faces some tough choices with regards to how he’ll comprise his original 53-man roster before Week 1. And with the Niners needing to trim their current 90-man roster down to 85 players ahead of their second preseason game of the year, this one against the Minnesota Vikings, Shanahan already has to be thinking about which players aren’t good enough for the regular-season group but could be considered worthy additions to the practice squad.

Read More: Kyle Shanahan likely cuts these 5 players in 49ers’ first cut-down wave

Perhaps he’s looking for a similar outcome from someone like wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who spent his rookie 2020 season on the practice squad before becoming a solid offensive contributor the following year.

NFL practice squad rules for 2022

There aren’t too many differences for the practice squad, as far as rules are concerned, since 2020 when the pandemic convinced both the league and players association it was necessary to add more spots.

That year, squads jumped up to 16 players from the previous 10, and teams could then carry as many as six veterans with unlimited accrued seasons, who wouldn’t have been eligible under the old rules.

One notable difference, though, is now players can be elevated from the practice squad onto a game-day roster three times this season before having to be officially signed to the 53-man roster, whereas this could only happen twice, according to the rules over the last two years.

As always, other teams can only sign players off another squad’s practice squad if they’re signed directly to the 53-man roster.

A team can’t sign a practice squad player to its own practice squad unless the first team releases him.

Predicting 49ers first practice squad of 2022 NFL season

San Francisco has two more preseason games on its schedule, and final roster cuts need to be made by Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. ET, and designation of the practice squad can take place the following day, Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Predicting the 49ers’ opening practice squad is little more than a scientific guess, but there are reasons why these 16 players make the cut.

QB Brock Purdy

Quarterbacks Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld have the first two spots locked down, and Shanahan may opt not to keep three signal-callers on his 53-man roster unless rookie Brock Purdy backs up what was a strong NFL debut against the Green Bay Packers last Friday.

RB Jordan Mason

Undrafted rookie running back Jordan Mason impressed during training camp, but the Niners have a logjam at the position that doesn’t bode well for his 53-man roster chances.

Teams aren’t likely to scramble to sign running backs off practice squads this early in the year, so San Francisco probably tries stashing Mason as a reserve.

RB JaMycal Hasty

That same running back logjam isn’t good news for JaMycal Hasty, who still impressed in preseason action last Friday with six touches for 47 yards.

Considering Shanahan has perennially had injuries at running back, stashing Hasty alongside Mason would be a smart move even if the head coach carries four — Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Tyrion Davis-Price on the regular-season roster.

FB Josh Hokit

A perennial backup for Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Josh Hokit always gets plenty of playing time in the preseason.

That changes this year, though, as Hokit was part of the team’s first wave of roster cuts, but bringing him back in a reserve capacity still makes sense.

WR Tay Martin

The 49ers also have five of their wide receiver spots all but filled with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Danny Gray and Ray-Ray McCloud, but undrafted rookie wideout Tay Martin has a 6-foot-3 frame that can create some separation skills worth developing.

WR Willie Snead

A veteran who was just picked up as a free agent recently this offseason, wide receiver Willie Snead is a solid blocker whose prowess might serve as a decent reserve for Jennings, who is also a quality blocker on the perimeter.

OL Nick Zakelj

Both training camp and Week 1 of the preseason have shown the Niners’ sixth-round rookie draft pick, lineman Nick Zakelj, might have needed some beefier competition than the small-school context he saw at Fordham.

Zakelj might figure to be a quality reserve in a year’s time.

OL Jason Poe

Zakelj was outperformed by undrafted rookie lineman Jason Poe against the Packers, but there might not be enough room for either player on the 53-man roster anyway.

Poe’s footspeed during the game (he was a former fullback at the college level) was fun to watch, though, and San Francisco would love to continue his development.

OL Alfredo Gutierrez

The 49ers added lineman Alfredo Gutierrez as part of the NFL International Player Pathway program a year ago, which gave them an extra practice squad spot if he didn’t make the 53-man roster.

He’ll likely stay put another year.

DL Alex Barrett

The 49ers seem to love reserve defensive end Alex Barrett, who made an impact back in 2020 amid what was an awfully banged-up defensive line.

DL Robert Nkemdiche

Like Snead, veteran defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was a late free-agent add to the 49ers roster and impressed with a tackle for a loss versus Green Bay.

Yet the Niners have plenty of D-linemen poised to make the regular-season roster, meaning the former first-round pick likely has to stand by as a reserve.

LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball

Undrafted rookie linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball had himself an interception for a return of 57 yards against the Packers, which certainly improved his roster stock but won’t help him overtake what Pro Football Focus labeled the No. 1 linebacking corps in the NFL entering 2022.

Still, McCrary-Ball’s coverage skills and versatility make him stand out more than the other first-year linebackers in contention for a practice squad spot.

CB Dontae Johnson

It’s hard to predict what happens with veteran cornerback Dontae Johnson, as he suffered a ribs injury against Green Bay and will miss a few weeks. The Niners could place him on an injury list, or they could delegate him to the cheaper practice squad.

Either way, the inevitable Johnson will make his return to San Francisco’s 53-man roster in some capacity sooner than later.

CB Tariq Castro-Fields

The 49ers swapped out cornerback Ambry Thomas on the second-team unit for sixth-round rookie Tariq Castro-Fields late in training camp, which is a development. And while the former Penn State cornerback didn’t see too much field time against the Packers, he’s surely worth considering for a Johnson-like role in upcoming years.

CB Ka’Dar Hollman

Yes, three cornerbacks on the practice squad, but it makes sense.

With veteran corners Charvarius Ward, Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett all dealing with injuries early this preseason, stockpiling some extra bodies to guard against attrition would be a smart move.

This would point to the speedy corner, Ka’Dar Hollman, hanging around in some capacity after an up-and-down preseason showing against his former team, the Packers, on Friday.

S Tayler Hawkins

In training camp, undrafted safety Tayler Hawkins flashed some promise but still looked overly raw and outmatched by his competition.

There are still some positive traits worth developing, though, and his abilities on special teams could go a long way.