49ers roster: Insanely early 53-man roster projection for 2023

49ers Defensive lineman (11)

EDGE Nick Bosa

EDGE Drake Jackson

DT Arik Armstead

DT Javon Hargrave

EDGE Clelin Ferrell

DT Kevin Givens

DT Kalia Davis

DT Javon Kinlaw

DT T.Y. McGill

Rookie EDGE

DE Austin Bryant

As usual, the defensive line is going to be the group with the largest numbers. This is based on the assumption that new defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes is as interested in high-quality defensive line depth as his predecessors have been, but something tells me this is an organizational tenet that Wilkes’ presence suggests he believes in.

At this point, there are plenty of locked-in guys, including reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, defensive tackles Arik Armstead, Kevin Givens, Javon Kinlaw, T.Y. McGill, and second-year EDGE rusher Drake Jackson, who looks to show his pedigree in his sophomore season. Also on that list is likely Kalia Davis, a defensive tackle who red-shirted last year as he recovered from a college injury.

Also written in pen is big-ticket free agent signing Javon Hargrave who comes from an Eagles team that dominated in the trenches last year and is looking to make the 49ers’ front seven as fearsome as that group was in 2022.

From there, the team signed a few interesting one-year deals with guys like former Raiders’ first-round pick Clelin Ferrell, who is looking to rehab his career after a less-than-stellar start with the Raiders, and former Lions’ defensive end Austin Bryant, who never really got his career going in Detriot.

I feel pretty confident in most of these names, although it should be expected that the 49ers will draft several defensive lineman, including an EDGE rusher, in the upcoming draft. That could put a guy like Bryant on alert, but until we see more of who these guys are, I’ll lock in one roster spot for a rookie but recognize that it could be more than one depending on how the draft shakes out.

49ers Linebackers (4)

LB Fred Warner

LB Dre Greenlaw

LB Oren Burks

LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball

Again, this group isn’t terribly difficult to predict.

All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner continues to be a stalwart in his position and is among the best in the NFL. Next to him will be Dre Greenlaw, who is 100% entrenched as the second linebacker now that Azeez Al-Shaair has left to earn a starting role in Nashville.

Oren Burks is too vital on special teams to not make this team and he showed the ability to step in as a defensive player when called upon, although you wouldn’t expect him to be the no.3 starter and be a core player on special teams.

That means the starting role next to Warner and Greenlaw, such as it is, might be open. The competition likely comes down to two guys with hyphenated last names: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Marcelino McCrary-Ball.

For now, the nod goes to McCrary-Ball, although Flannigan-Fowles has done well as a special teamer the last few seasons. But the move into someone who might play a good chunk of defensive snaps will make it a true competition.

It’s also likely the 49ers add a rookie or two to the mix, but this unit seems pretty well set unless a first-year player comes in and makes some major noise.