49ers brass is currently in NFL Draft mode, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look past the rest of the offseason and training camp to project the 2023 53-man roster.
As NFL free agency is more or less over, the San Francisco 49ers are turning their attention to the NFL Draft and beyond. And as the roster begins to take shape, it’s never too early to look at what the team might look like after the draft, training camp, and preseason games are over.
The 49ers are scheduled to have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, which means there’s bound to be some changes to the roster between now and September, but if you look at the current state of the team, it appears the 49ers are pretty well set in the starting line up, save for a few positions that will be in question.
Major questions will circle around what the Niners should do at the quarterback position to be sure, but slots like starting right tackle, the outside cornerback opposite Charvarius Ward, and nickel cornerback are also up for grabs heading into the heart of the offseason.
So yes, on some levels this is an insane exercise heading into April, but it is beneficial to look at just how set the 49ers are in most places on their roster. For fans of the team, this is good news, because it means the draft can be used to supplement the depth of the squad rather than seeking immediate starters.
That said, let’s dive into this 53-man roster projection, complete with some notes where some as-of-yet-unknown rookies could make some noise and latch onto the team for 2023.
49ers’ Quarterbacks (3)
QB Brock Purdy
QB Trey Lance
QB Sam Darnold
The offseason conversation is going to continue to swirl with the talk of what the 49ers should do about the Brock Purdy and Trey Lance conundrum.
49ers general manager John Lynch noted that Purdy is the “leader in the clubhouse,” but the issue with that is that Purdy won’t be able to throw for another few months and the timeline for his recovery from offseason UCL surgery could have him butting up against the start of the regular season. This means he’d miss all the offseason programs and training camp, giving Lance an opportunity to grab some vital reps.
But the question of who will start at quarterback is ultimately a question for another day. Both Purdy and Lance are making this team, as it isn’t advantageous from a salary cap perspective for the 49ers to entertain a trade.
The main issue will be whether free agent signing Sam Darnold will make this team or not. His contract suggests the 49ers expect him to play a role in 2023, but he may also simply be an insurance policy if Purdy’s recovery is slower than expected.
It wouldn’t be out of character for the 49ers to keep three quarterbacks and last season certainly showed the benefits of having a third on the roster, but the moving parts of this will be down to how Purdy recovers and what Darnold shows during his preseason games.
49ers’ Running backs (5)
RB Christian McCaffrey
RB Elijah Mitchell
RB Tyrion Davis-Price
RB Jordan Mason
FB Kyle Juszczyk
The running backs room is about as easy a group to predict as there is on this 49ers’ team. The top two backs, Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, are pretty much locked into place, although Mitchell is going to need to step up his game and stay healthy to fend off Jordan Mason, an undrafted free agent, and Ty Davis-Price, last year’s third-round draft pick.
Along with that is the presence of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who is a key cog in making this offense go, both as a blocker in the running game and yet another weapon in the passing game.
The major question mark is whether a late-round draft pick or undrafted free agent will come in and unseat one of either Davis-Price or Mason, something that seems to happen every year since head coach Kyle Shanahan came to Santa Clara.
Barring that, this group stands to be the 49ers’ running back room heading into the 2023 season.
49ers’ Wide receivers (6)
WR Deebo Samuel
WR Brandon Aiyuk
WR Jauan Jennings
WR Danny Gray
WR Ray-Ray McLoud
Rookie
The wide receiver group is nearly as simple as the running backs. The first five are easy: former All-Pro Deebo Samuel, last year’s leading receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, return ace Ray-Ray McLoud, and second-year man Danny Gray.
There’s always a chance that those five could be the only guys that make the active roster, but it seems more likely that they’ll look to add a sixth guy who can feature on special teams or play a similar role that Gray did last season.
The rest of the current options on the roster don’t inspire a lot of confidence: Dazz Newsome and Tay Martin seem more like practice squad options than active roster guys. So for now, I’d bet on the 49ers drafting a rookie that slowly gets folded into the team.
49ers’ Tight ends (3)
TE George Kittle
TE Charlie Woerner
Rookie
The top two here are easy. Former All-Pro George Kittle is locked into his starting role and thrived with Brock Purdy under center last season, although he has yet to play any significant snaps with Trey Lance.
Beside him will be Charlie Woerner, who hasn’t shown much of anything as a receiver yet in his NFL tenure, but stands to be on the roster as a blocker.
The big question here is whether Ross Dwelley finds his spot again? The 49ers re-signed him this offseason, but his role on the team dwindled last year and he was often a healthy scratch late in the season in favor of now-departed Tyler Kroft.
It’s time for the 49ers to draft someone who can serve as a solid running mate beside Kittle and actually be a threat in the passing game. The upcoming draft is deep at the position, so it’s likely that the team will bring in a rookie who will get a chance to make an immediate impact.
In the past, the 49ers have kept four tight ends on the roster, so there’s a chance they forego a sixth wideout to keep the rookie and Dwelley around, but for now, the veteran is on the outside looking in.
49ers’ Offensive lineman (8)
LT Trent Williams
LG Aaron Banks
C Jake Brendel
RG Spencer Burford
RT Colton McKivitz
OG/C John Feliciano
OT Matt Pryor
OL Nick Zakelj
Even if there’s still some question of who will start at right tackle, the group of Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, and Colton McKivitz seem pretty well locked in as members of the 2023 roster.
It’ll be up to McKivitz to show he’s the man for the starting job, as he’ll have competition from Jaylon Moore and newly signed Matt Pryor for the role, even if McKivitz’s new contract suggests he’s got a leg up for the role.
At this point, I’m giving McKivitz the nod and giving the more experienced Pryor the swing tackle spot over Moore, who has struggled in his limited playing time.
Joining Pryor in the reserve role is free agent signing John Feliciano, who has played all along the interior in his time with the Bills and the Giants, allowing him to slide into a Daniel Brunskill-like role of a swing interior guy.
From there, a few names pop up as the 8th guy in the room, including Jason Poe, who impressed during last offseason and spent last season on the practice squad, and Nick Zakelj, who spent much of last season focusing on converting from tackle to center.
Either could make the team depending on how the preseason goes, but for now, the nod goes to Zakelj.
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.
49ers Cornerbacks (6)
CB Charvarius Ward
CB Deommodore Lenoir
CB Isaiah Oliver
CB Sam Womack
CB Qwantrezz Knight
Rookie cornerback
To my mind, the starting cornerback roles are actually pretty well set: the outside corners will be Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir with free-agent signing Isaiah Oliver stepping in to take over as the starting nickel corner.
Sam Womack sticks around as the immediate backup to Oliver, although he has shown some ability to play outside as well in spite of his size.
The notable missing name here is Ambry Thomas, who never really recovered from the slip in performance that led to Lenoir taking over last season when Emmanuel Moseley went down with his ACL injury. Qwantrezz Knight takes over Thomas’ spot, with a rookie stepping in as well.
It’s always possible that Thomas has a great camp and forces his way onto the roster, but his recent form, and the massive draft haul the 49ers have, suggest that someone will be on his way out during roster cuts.
49ers Safeties (4)
FS Tashaun Gipson
SS Talanoa Hufanga
S George Odum
S Myles Hartsfield
With the return of Tashaun Gipson and the departure of longtime 49er Jimmie Ward, the starting safety group is pretty well solidified at this point. Gipson will start next to 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga, who will look to build upon his breakout sophomore season.
Behind them is special teams ace George Odum and, at least for now, incoming free agent Myles Hartsfield, who Steve Wilkes likes enough to bring the former Panther with him from Carolina.
And while Odum feels pretty well entrenched, the question will be whether a rookie can displace Hartsfield on this roster. Gipson is only back on a one-year deal, so the 49ers may look to find a long-term answer to the starting free safety position with one of their three third-round picks, which could spell bad news for Hartsfield.
Beyond that, any other players, be they rookies or veterans, could be looking for a chance at the practice squad at best.
49ers Specialists (3)
Rookie kicker
P Mitch Wishnowsky
LS Taybor Pepper
This one may come as a bit of a surprise.
The 49ers just traded for former Panthers’ kicker Zane Gonzalez, but you’ve got to dive deeper into that trade to see that the move doesn’t mean the 49ers won’t be adding a rookie kicker during the draft or soon thereafter.
San Francisco merely swapped picks with Carolina in 2025, which means the Panthers were going to release him anyway, but thought getting something, even if it was just a pick swap, for the kicker was better than nothing.
And while Gonzalez has been pretty accurate at times during his career, there’s been wild variation in his field-goal percentages, from the lowest of lows (64.3% on 14 attempts in 2018) to the deadly accurate (90.9% on 22 attempts in 2021). He also missed all of 2022 due to injury.
Furthermore, one of the issues the 49ers had with Robbie Gould was more about his touchback percentage and leg strength, not necessarily his field goal accuracy. Gonzalez has a career touchback percentage of 57.8%, while Gould had a 41.2% rate during his 49ers’ tenure.
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This means that Gonzalez’s role isn’t set in stone and it feels like the opportunity is there for a strong-legged rookie to come in and take the position away from the veteran.
The other two spots, punter Mitch Wishnowsky and long-snapper Taybor Pepper, shouldn’t have any questions heading into this offseason and beyond. Each is signed for the long term, with Wishnowsky locked in until 2026 and Pepper until 2025.
So there aren’t a lot of questions to ask about this 49ers roster, even at this point in the offseason. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to talk about in the weeks and months to come.