49ers post-minicamp 53-man roster predictions with depth chart

49ers Quarterbacks

QB1 Brock Purdy

QB2 Trey Lance

QB3 Sam Darnold

Much has been made about the quarterback battle in Santa Clara that began once Brock Purdy stepped in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game, before succumbing to an injury of his own, bringing the Niners' Super Bowl hopes crashing to the ground.

That injury, a tear in the UCL of his throwing arm, led to a surgery that Purdy is still recovering from, although all signs seem to indicate that the quarterback is progressing ahead of his initial projection, meaning he'll be the starter when the 49ers travel to Pittsburgh for Week 1 on September 10.

Since the discussion from Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch has been centered around Purdy being the starter, provided that he's healthy enough to play, that leaves a battle between former No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, who is also coming off an injury, albeit one that happened much earlier in 2022 than Purdy's, and Sam Darnold, who was also selected No. 3 overall by the New York Jets back in 2018.

Former Cincinnati Bengals backup Brandon Allen is also in the training camp mix, but it would be a shock if he made the team over either Lance or Darnold.

The QB2 battle could go either way at this point, with each signal-caller splitting time with the first team during OTAs and minicamp, but the edge goes to the guy the 49ers drafted just three years ago, even if Purdy has taken over as the team's starter.

49ers Running Backs

RB1 Christian McCaffrey

RB2 Elijah Mitchell

RB3 Jordan Mason

RB4 Tyrion Davis-Price

FB1 Kyle Juszczyk

There are two undisputed starters here in the 49ers backfield: halfback Christian McCaffrey and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who are among the best in the NFL at their respective positions and so therefore will not only start but see the lion's share of the snaps there, too.

But that doesn't mean we won't see Elijah Mitchell run the ball, because when he's been healthy he's been a spectular runner and another example of a late-round draft find for this 49ers' front office and scouting department. He's a different player than McCaffrey, to be sure, but he can still provide much needed yardage for this team on the ground.

As for the third and fourth spots, those are more likely to see the field on special teams, but the depth chart slot here is because former UDFA Jordan Mason has shown more as a running back than third-round draft pick Ty Davis-Price as a runner. Barring any massive changes from last season, expect things to remain essentially as they were when 2022 ended.