4 darkhorse 49ers who deserve a roster spot (but might not get one)

Jake Tonges, TE

Tonges is probably the most unheralded of the 49ers' options at tight end, if not only evidenced by the fact that his name being called after a catch in the first preseason game prompted a Scott Hatteberg Moneyball-style "WHO?!" from this otherwise usually well-prepared writer.

There's certainly no doubting who he is now, anyway. He's got his hands on six passes throughout the preseason, flashing a reliable set of hands at the Niners' troublesome TE2 position.

Conventional wisdom had it that Logan Thomas would be the front-runner for that role after he was picked up in the offseason, but he's already found himself on the fringes of the roster after being releaesd and subsequently re-signed, while last year's third-round draft choice Cameron Latu has struggled to adapt to the pro game.

The difficulty for Tonges is that the area where his game is less developed, the run-blocking game, is the part most likely to get him on the field. That's why, as roster cuts loom, he finds himself behind Eric Saubert, who has largely sown up the blocking role with his yeoman-like work at the position over the preseason, and Brayden Willis, the less heralded tight end from the Latu draft, who has provided all-round solid work as a reserve, and often backs up fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

Tonges path to the roster likely consists of two hurdles. First, the 49ers elect to keep four tight ends rather than their usual three (not impossible, given Kyle Shanahan's liking for using them), but also that the team considers him to have beaten out the aforementioned Latu, who, given his draft status and youth, may have a little more rope and patience from the decision makers.

Given that neophyte tight end Mason Pline is likely ticketed for the practice squad as well, it could be a real all-or-nothing couple of days for Tonges.