After the San Francisco 49ers' massive offseason exodus, it was to be expected that the NFL Draft would lead to some major replenishment of the bare-bones Niners roster.
That proved to be the case, as general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan surprisingly used all 11 of their available draft picks to acquire new players, with a particular focus on defense, where five players were added.
How does this, and the recent acquisition of former Pro Bowl tackle DJ Humphries, affect the projected makeup of the regular-season 53-man roster?
Let's take a look.
49ers offense
Quarterback (3): Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Tanner Mordecai
PUP/IR: Kurtis Rourke
The only real question here is whether the 49ers actually keep three quarterbacks. They have showen a tendency to do so, and given the amount of injuries that usually occur at the position, it's easy to understand why.
There would be a battle between Tanner Mordecai and Kurtis Rourke for the third quarterback spot, but given Rourke's ongoing recovery from an ACL tear, he feels more like a draft-and-stash, which should help last year's preseason star hang on to a spot.
Running Back (4): Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James, Patrick Taylor
Another easy call here, as they're clearly the best four backs on the roster right now (unless Jordan James becomes another 49ers running back draft flameout).
Israel Abanikanda and undrafted signee Corey Kiner compete for what might be a useful spot on the practice squad, given the usual attrition the Niners suffer at this position.
Fullback (1): Kyle Juszczyk
It looks like Kyle Juszczyk will be part of San Francisco's roster until he chooses to retire, especially after re-signing with the team following a brief spell off the roster in the early days of the offseason.
The 49ers have recruited no competition for him, so short of Shanahan suddenly eschewing the fullback role, his spot's safe.
Wide Receiver (5): Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, Terique Owens
PUP: Brandon Aiyuk
Suspended: Demarcus Robinson
Notable Cut(s): Trent Taylor, Junior Bergen
The first tough position to call, both in numbers and in general depth, and it's largely because of who's missing here.
Brandon Aiyuk's recovery from last season's ACL tear will likely land him on PUP to start the season, while free-agent signee Demarcus Robinson has an impending suspension under the league's substance abuse policy.
That leaves the wide receiver room looking very thin and extremely short of proven NFL talent. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are no-brainers, and likely to start even after Aiyuk's return, but beyond that, there's some projection about the development of second-year man Jacob Cowing and rookie Jordan Watkins.
Depending on Junior Bergen's ability (or lackthereof) as a returner, he could even challenge Cowing for a roster spot, if he doesn't develop enough as a receiver.
Terique Owens embodies the lack of depth, as he gets a spot largely down to the team's positive evaluations of him so far, rather than anything he's done on the field. He has a tenuous hold on a spot, though, as both Aiyuk and Robinson could replace him once they're ready to return to the active roster.
I suspect the 49ers would rather keep six players here, but someone will need to separate themselves throughout training camp and preseason to take that spot.
Tight End (3): George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges
Notable cut(s): Brayden Willis, Mason Pline
The main battle here will be for the third spot, as the recently extended George Kittle and free-agent signee Luke Farrell are absolute locks. It'll be particularly interesting to see how Farrell's blocking adds to the Niners scheme, as he adds a piece largely missing since the twin departures of Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner.
Jake Tonges made the roster last year, which gives him the inside edge here. San Francisco kept four tight ends last year, but that seems unlikely this year, so it'll be an interesting battle between the well-rounded Tonges, the blocker Brayden Willis, and the potential of former basketball player, Mason Pline, to win the spot.
For now, we'll side with the veteran.
Offensive Line (9): Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Nick Zakelj, Spencer Burford, Connor Colby, DJ Humphries
Notable cut(s): Austen Pleasants, Matt Hennessy
Outside of the top six, this gets tough to project.
Four of the starting five are obvious, given that the 49ers have either made no attempt to replace them (Jake Brendel, Colton McKivitz), or they're the two best offensive linemen on the roster (Trent Williams, Dominick Puni).
What follows is then projecting Ben Bartch and Nick Zakelj to hold onto spots: one starting at left guard, and the other as a versatile backup, as both are capable of playing guard and center.
To fill the last three spots, I've taken the most decorated of the 49ers backups (the recently-signed Humphries) to fill the swing tackle spot, assuming he has more left than previous veteran signings like Chris Hubbard. Then, the versatility of Spencer Burford (also mooted as an option at swing tackle, as well as at his natural position of guard) and potential talent of Connor Colby fill out the position.
Colby or Burford may be a guard type too many, but it's possible regret from last year's cutting of reserve lineman Jarrett Kingston motivates the team to keep a talented rookie like Colby around on the active roster this year, rather than trying to sneak him through the waiver system.
Burford, meanwhile, seems broadly trusted by the coaching staff and has seniority over many of his competitors. That should be enough to see him back for another year.
Defense
Defensive Line (10): Nick Bosa, Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens, Yetur Gross-Matos, Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, CJ West, Sam Okuayinonu, Evan Anderson, Robert Beal Jr.
PUP/IR: Drake Jackson
Notable cut(s): Kalia Davis
This position surprisingly ends up carrying the most players on this roster projection, and it's probably a reflection of the new-found depth at the spot, following the 49ers' obvious focus on rebuilding it in the draft.
Once past the obvious starters and rookies, who should all make the team, it then becomes a battle at certain spots. For example, Kevin Givens likely makes it due to solid play overall, but he'll be challenged by Kalia Davis. The fact Davis hasn't been able to consistently produce on the field, however, puts him behind the curve to start the preseason.
Both of last year's surprises, Evan Anderson and Sam Okuayinonu, make it and get to continue their development under D-line coach Kris Kocurek, while Robert Beal, purely down to his potential (and the fact he's a natural edge rusher, something lacking in these projections), takes a very tenuous hold on the 10th spot.
Drake Jackson could make this decision interesting, but based on the negative projections about his recovery, it's hard to imagine him being available for the opening-day roster.
Small side note: I would *love* this to be the year Alex Barrett ends his six-year odyssey of bouncing on and off the roster (and flashing in the preseason) to finally lock down a roster spot, but he once again faces an uphill battle.
Linebacker (5): Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Nick Martin, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune
Notable Cut(s): Curtis Robinson, Jalen Graham
The first three here seem relatively straightforward. Barring a disaster, Fred Warner should be a Niner for the rest of his career, while we should also see a titanic battle between the two young fliers, Dee Winters and Nick Martin, to take over Dre Greenlaw's old spot.
After that, it becomes a bit of a bun fight. Luke Gifford is projected to make it based on his special teams prowess (I'm giving new special teams coordinator Brent Boyer a handful of roster spots throughout this projection), while I've backed Tatum Bethune to make it over Curtis Robinson and Jalen Graham based on the fact he managed to wrest a roster spot from the latter last year.
Robinson would've made sense as the ubiquitous veteran linebacker who gets snaps on special teams and occasionally on defense, but a combination of his 2024 ACL injury and the competing special teams prowess of both Bethune and Gifford means he just misses out.
If he can turn in another strong preseason, though, all bets are off.
Cornerback (6): Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Darrell Luter Jr., Tre Brown, Jason Pinnock
Notable Cut(s): Chase Lucas, Sirian Neal
The top three here aren't a mystery, but the battle again starts amongst the reserves.
Darrell Luter Jr. would seem to have the inside track on a spot, given his tutoring at the nickel job and snaps on special teams, but special teams ace Sirian Neal will push him all the way for a spot.
After that, it's about retaining experience and capability on the outside spots, hence why former Seattle Seahawks reserve Tre Brown finds his spot safe.
Jason Pinnock projects to play both corner and safety, which could be valuable in the dog days of the season, and his fully guaranteed free-agency contract likely means a spot is his to lose.
The 49ers do seem to be lacking a quality reserve here, however, so there is an opportunity for someone not currently being considered.
Safety (4): Ji'Ayir Brown, Richie Grant, George Odum, Marques Sigle
PUP/IR: Malik Mustapha
Notable Cut(s): Jaylen Mahoney
The makeup here has been shifted by the news that phenomenal youngster Malik Mustapha could miss at least half of the 2025 season with a previously unreported knee injury.
These four might have held a spot anyway, dropping the numbers at another position, but these now seem locked in. Ji'Ayir Brown is the obvious starter at the other safety spot, while rookie Marques Sigle projects to a bigger role than expected as a rookie, with some believing he might be a steal.
After that, San Francisco once again takes care of special teams: George Odom has been a consistent favourite of the coaching staff due to his work in the third phase of the game, while Richie Grant presents an ideal blend of some starting experience with the ability to play solidlly on special teams, something the 49ers coaches are sure to value.
It's possible that if he plays to his maximum potential, he might even unseat the inconsistent Brown as a starter.
49ers specialists
Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, Jon Weeks (3)
Unless San Francisco really does follow through on bringing in a seasoned veteran to challenge kicker Jake Moody, this would seem to be a drama-free projection.
It's a little surprising the team hasn't decided to challenge Mitch Wishnowsky, as the long-tenured punter has shown signs of dropping off in effectiveness in the last few seasons, but without anyone on the horizon, he seems capable of holding onto his spot.
Jon Weeks is a newcomer at long-snapper, but his 15-year NFL tenure suggests that he should have no issues acclimatising to the 49ers and holding his spot.
Final thoughts
This is really a blind projection at this point, particularly on the new signees and rookies. All could very easily change, and change quickly, once the pads come on and practices and preseason games and endured.
It'll be interesting to see how the projection, and the recovery from injury of some of the Niners' key starters (such as Aiyuk and Mustapha) changes as the offseason winds on.
For now, though, this is where we are.