Every year, it's a fun exercise to comb through the San Francisco 49ers' crop of undrafted free-agent signings and predict which names may be the favorites to carve out a niche role on the 53-man roster right out of the gate.
Notre Dame safety Jalen Stroman was one such possibility, especially considering the Niners did little, previously, to address their concerning depth options at the position.
Indeed, San Francisco's decision not to draft or sign a safety earlier, despite not exuding a ton of confidence in incumbents like Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha, was a bit puzzling. And it seemed to give Stroman a better-than-poor chance of making the regular-season squad right out of the gate.
But maybe that conclusion was a bit premature.
Since that point, the 49ers have made some roster moves that could ultimately doom the rookie's prospects for landing a gig on the 53-man group right away.
49ers may not be as high on Jalen Stroman as originally thought
Despite his upsides, including three tackles for a loss, a sack and a pick-six interception last season, Stroman still has his limitations and was regarded as a late day-three prospect, at best. His coverage skills are lacking, and despite having a nose for making a big play, the liabilities don't exactly suggest an every-down player.
The Niners also added veteran safety Patrick McMorris shortly after inking Stroman, but perhaps the biggest blow to the latter's roster chances was the June signing of fellow veteran Ashtyn Davis, a six-year pro with 34 starts to his name.
Perhaps defensive coordinator Raheem Morris got a brief look at Stroman and the other depth options and concluded a new body was needed, hence the Davis move.
If that's the case, it would be reasonable to assume not only Davis is a potential threat to both Brown and Mustapha to start, but it'd also be a move that'd fully endanger Stroman's slim-but-modest hopes for cracking the 53-man roster.
Simply put, the undrafted rookie might be the odd man out, given the other options.
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