Revising 49ers' 53-man roster prediction after preseason Week 2 lessons learned

The 49ers may need to get creative with their 53-man roster, and we predict such after the Niners beat the Saints in preseason Week 2.

The San Francisco 49ers are just one preseason game away from having to make some awfully tough choices regarding their 53-man roster to open up the regular season.

In some ways, there aren't too many decisions to make. Considering the relatively few starting positions up for grabs, the issues facing head coach Kyle Shanahan primarily boil down to who he wants in reserve roles.

There are quite a few battles there yet to be determined.

After knocking off the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the preseason, and looking ahead to the Niners' exhibition finale against the Las Vegas Raiders later this week, Niner Noise offers up our next 53-man roster prediction with some key differences from our most recent guesswork after the preseason opener versus the Tennessee Titans, which you can check out here.

For each position, we'll discuss the biggest remaining question facing Shanahan and his ultimate choice of cuts and roster additions.

Quarterback (3)

Brock Purdy
Josh Dobbs
Brandon Allen

Purdy might have struggled in his preseason debut, but in fairness, he hardly had any of his starting cast.

Dobbs, meanwhile, took a major leap toward seizing the QB2 role on Sunday night, showcasing both his arm strength and prowess as a rusher, which relegates Allen to another year of being a third-stringer.

Undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai impressed late, but he's likely a developmental option on the practice squad.

Running back (5)

Kyle Juszczyk
Christian McCaffrey
Jordan Mason
Elijah Mitchell
Cody Schrader

Mason got the night off on Sunday, which probably indicates his role as McCaffrey's primary backup is solidified after a strong showing versus Tennessee.

San Francisco has been giving undrafted rookie Cody Schrader plenty of touches this preseason, which is a pretty good indicator it wants him to seize a depth spot on the roster over the recently signed veteran, Matt Breida.

Wide receiver (6)

Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel
Jauan Jennings
Ricky Pearsall
Chris Conley
Jacob Cowing

Aiyuk is on the 49ers roster until, well... he isn't. Despite his contract standoff and subsequent trade rumors, the likelihood of him being available in Week 1 is strong despite he and Deebo Samuel not taking the field yet this preseason.

With Pearsall still dealing with a shoulder injury, Cowing made the most out of fringe receivers against NOLA, leading the offense with 51 receiving yards.

He's clearly leading the competition over his teammates, Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell.

Tight end (3)

George Kittle
Eric Saubert
Brayden Willis

Jake Tonges has shown some promise during the offseason and has also done some work at fullback, but the thinking is he's ticketed for the practice squad as a go-to call-up in case of an injury to Juszczyk.

Saubert's blocking prowess is needed, while Willis has been seeing plenty of field time for the first two preseason games, likely pushing Cameron Latu off the roster despite the latter's improvement in year two.

Offensive line (9)

Trent Williams
Aaron Banks
Jake Brendel
Dominick Puni
Colton McKivitz
Jaylon Moore
Jon Feliciano
Spencer Burford
Nick Zakelj

Rookie Jarrett Kingston might be squeezed out of a job this season, thanks to the Niners trusting Zakelj with more premium preseason snaps early in games.

Moore, meanwhile, has been getting the nod at left tackle in place of Williams amid the latter's own contract dispute, which is probably a good sign the former is winning the swing-tackle battle.

Defensive line (8)

Nick Bosa
Javon Hargrave
Maliek Collins
Leonard Floyd
Yetur Gross-Matos
Kevin Givens
Jordan Elliott
Robert Beal Jr.

San Francisco's defensive line depth hasn't been great this preseason, and the loss of Kalia Davis for the first few weeks of the regular season is going to hurt what's already looking like a questionable run defense.

One might suspect the 49ers name eight D-linemen to their opening 53-man roster but comb the waiver wire after league roster cuts to add a competent run-stuffer.

Who gets axed as a result will be interesting to monitor.

Linebacker (6)

Fred Warner
De'Vondre Campbell
Dee Winters
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Curtis Robinson
Jalen Graham

Linebacker is arguably the Niners' deepest defensive position, so cutting a D-lineman in favor of a quality linebacker, such as a preseason standout in Robinson, could make some sense. All Robinson has done so far is impress.

Winters has impressed, too, along with seventh-round rookie Tatum Bethune.

The latter is simply a victim of the numbers game, though.

Cornerback (6)

Charvarius Ward
Isaac Yiadom
Deommodore Lenoir
Rock Ya-Sin
Darrell Luter Jr.
Renardo Green

Green's versatility on the boundary and at nickel works in his favor, and it helps he's had a solid preseason thus far.

San Francisco trusts its veterans, though, which means Ya-Sin gets a nod over Samuel Womack, who has had an up-and-down training camp and preseason, likely losing out to others like Luter, who hasn't played much during his pro career but arguably has a bigger upside.

Cornerback, too, remains one of the 49ers' deeper positions despite the injury loss of Ambry Thomas (forearm), who was on the deeper part of the roster bubble anyway.

Safety (4)

Ji'Ayir Brown
Talanoa Hufanga
George Odum
Malik Mustapha

Fans may want to watch Mustapha start in Week 1, but he'll likely have to bide his time for another year after Hufanga's pending return from last season's torn ACL.

Odum is in the discussion to start if Hufanga can't go, and the former has shown plenty of capability there this preseason.

Special teams (3)

Jake Moody
Mitch Wishnowsky
Taybor Pepper

Can we say "punter controversy?"

That's what recently signed Pressley Harvin III created by landing a whole lotta punts inside the Saints' 10-yard line last Sunday, which was impressive. But there's no way the Niners give him the job over Wishnowsky once the regular season rolls around.