These 49ers youngsters could steal roster spots from established veterans

Finally, training camp is around the corner. and football is about to bless us again with another great season.

Before any of the games can get played, though, there's the usual noise and hubbub of training camp and preseason games to get through, and it can be one of the most intriguing times of the year for any devoted football fan.

In the San Francisco 49ers' case, it's a strange situation, as less roster spots are up for grabs than most teams, given the nature of how the roster has been built, and the fact that the team is very much constructed to take yet another big swing at a Super Bowl win this year.

On the other hand, that does mean that those spots that are available -- probably a rough five to 10 spots at the bottom of the roster -- face heavy competition, which is all the more interesting for us preseason junkies.

One of the storylines surrounding these battles is the experience gap between the players involved. In many cases, there are young and hungry players, from rookies to second-year players looking to push established veterans off the roster.

Let's take a look at some of the more interesting cases of this as training camp looms.

Tanner Mordecai over Brandon Allen/Joshua Dobbs

Of the five possibilities we'll discuss today, this would seem to have the least chance of happening.

The 49ers seem to like quarterback Brandon Allen, hence the decision to keep him around this offseason, whereas free-agent pickup Joshua Dobbs has pretty extensive starting experience across the league.

On the surface, that would seem to mean that Tanner Mordecai, the former Wisconsin signal-caller, has little chance of remaining with San Francisco after signing initially as an undrafted free agent.

Working in Mordecai's favour, though, is the 49ers' history at this position. Whether seeing the likes of Nick Mullens develop and grow into a player that actually started NFL games, or keeping some unknown very late draft pick like Brock Purdy over a league-proven backup like Nate Sudfeld, head coach Kyle Shanahan has consistently shown that if a quarterback does enough in training camp and preseason, he'll find a way to keep him.

The fact that neither Dobbs nor Allen has a long-term deal with the team as backup or third-stringer would also suggest that their spots may be more tenuous than previously thought. One of them seems almost certain to make the roster, but if Mordecai can bring his college accuracy (above 65% in his time across SMU and Wisconsin) and smarts to the table, and grasps the complicated offense quickly, he's got a good shot, especially considering the churn of NFL quarterbacks.