Predicting Starters at Every Position for San Francisco 49ers in 2012

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Here it is mid-February and our eyes look forward to the first game in September.

There’s no doubt that the offensive and defensive lineups for the San Francisco 49ers will undergo some changes. How many remains to be seen. But with the draft two months away and the impending free agency, there’s bound to be some different faces by Week 1.

Wide Receiver No. 1

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Was: Michael Crabtree. Will be: Steve Johnson (pictured).

This is the position that draws the most attention. The Niners need someone who can run off the safeties, draw double coverage so the safeties can get out of the box and free up the intermediate routes for Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis, among others.

Johnson, who led Buffalo in catches in 2011, is a free agent that, at first glance, doesn’t come across as the game-breaker like Calvin Johnson or AJ Green, to name two. Among top-flight free-agent receivers, Johnson is smaller but younger than Vincent Jackson and Marquess Colston. He’s faster than Dwayne Bowe and more reliable than DeSean Jackson.

Johnson is a very good route runner with good hands who can get free within the confines of the combination patterns so favored by coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Also, he won’t break the bank like Vincent or DeSean Jackson.

Left Tackle

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Joe Staley. Pro Bowl quality tackle remains a leader on the team until he decides to call it quits.

Left Guard

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Mike Iupati looks to his left and sees Staley and says, “I want to be like Joe.”

Center

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Jonathan Goodwin is the anchor the Niners needed. He’s a solid, steady performer who has a few years left. No reason to change.

Right Guard

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Was: Adam Snyder. Will Be: Cordy Glenn

Snyder held up reasonably well in ’11, but here’s where the Niners, who draft 30^th, make a statement. With enough cash to get a high-profile receiver, they nail down their offensive line with the addition of the 6’6”, 340-pound Glenn out of Georgia.

Glenn’s addition to the team makes for a large, aggressive, physical and young offensive line that can sustain Harbaugh’s philosophy for years to come.

Right Tackle

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Anthony Davis looks way over to Joe Staley and says, “I want to be like Joe.”

Quarterback

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Alex Smith

When you take time to help your coach make his debut in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, it makes a statement about your intentions, free agency or no free agency.

Tight End

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The 2011 season was, depending on which week, either the Year of the Quarterback, the Year of the Big Receiver or the Year of the Tight End.

Either way, Vernon Davis’ performance in the playoffs moved him up the pecking order of the NFL. Niner fans can say, “You can have your Jimmy Graham and your Rob Gronkowski, pal. We got VD.”

Wide Receiver No. 2

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Was: Joshua Morgan (hurt), Braylon Edwards (cut), Ted Ginn Jr. (hurt), Kyle Williams (young), Brett Swain (slow). Will Be: Michael Crabtree.

Moving into his fourth year, Crabtree is a solid possession receiver but not one capable of stretching the defense or drawing consistent double coverage. Effective on the slants and quick stops, he’s a valuable player with good hands.

Fullback

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Bruce Miller proved in the last half of 2011 that as a rookie he’s capable and effective. He's another standout addition in what turned out to be the best draft class of the 2011 season. No reason to change.

Running Back

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Frank Gore enters the second year of his three-year contract. What sits in the minds of the 49ers coaching and personnel staff is whether he can hold up. There’s nothing Harbaugh would like more than to pound Gore for the easy scores.

With another right guard and the addition of more speed, Gore becomes the pivot point of the offense. The safeties have to come up to help on the run, but that leaves the home run throw open.

If the 49ers go out of their way to draft a high-profile back in the second or third round, then Niner fans can assess that Gore’s injuries in 2011 were more serious and that he hasn’t regained full strength from the hip injury that hampered him at the end of the 2010 season.

Gore it is, but look for possible changes or additions such as a rookie like Chris Polk of Washington (if available in the third round). If the injury appears to be more serious, then look for someone like Michael Bush of the Raiders to get a free-agent offer.

No. 3 Receiver

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This is where the Niners can make a splash in the draft. By signing free agent Steve Johnson, they don’t have to hope that a player like Dwight Jones of North Carolina (6’4” with good speed) is around late in the first round.

What they might do is draft an offensive lineman in the first round and then group some picks to move up in the second to take Coby Fleener, the 6’6” tight end out of Stanford. Fleener runs a 4.5 40, making him difficult for matchups — too fast for linebackers, too big for defensive backs.

This was similar to the move they pulled last year when they jumped up to take quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Defensive Left Tackle

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Ray McDonald (91) signed a free-agent deal last year and it might have been as crucial as any of the successful deals made by general manager Trent Baalke. Going into his sixth year, he stands as a strong early-season candidate to end his year either in the Super Bowl or the Pro Bowl.

Nose Tackle

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Isaac Sopoaga also ranks as one of the most underrated players on this defense. By constantly jamming the middle of the line, he allowed linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman to roam free as well as minimize the double-teams on McDonald and Justin Smith.

Sopoaga might be the poster boy of Harbaugh Football.

Right DT

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All you have to know about this position is that NFL insiders consider Justin Smith (seen above sacking Eli Manning) the most underappreciated superstar in football. Let’s leave it at that.

Outside LB

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Was: Ahmad Brooks had a great year. Now he’s a free agent.

Could Be: Aldon Smith

After two years of minimal impact in Cincinnati, Brooks came to San Francisco and recorded sack totals of six, five and seven in the next three years. He played an important role in Vic Fangio’s defense by keeping a strong edge to force plays back inside to Bowman and Willis as well as being able to rush off the edge. It’s not ESPN-highlight stuff, but it makes for a good defense.

Why would he want to leave? Perhaps because a team like New England, whose head coach teaches disciplined defense, needs someone to set an edge (if only to keep running backs from getting to his poor-tackling DBs) and put some pressure on the quarterback.

If the money is too great, look for Brooks to leave and that means Aldon Smith (99) becomes an every-down player.

Inside LB

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NaVorro Bowman was a breakout star in 2011. The Niners need to sew him up for a long time.

Inside LB

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Patrick Willis is the game’s best inside linebacker. Plan on him ending his career in SF.

Outside LB

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Parys Haralson is another solid player whose main job was to force the run inside. He’ll do it again in 2012.

Left CB

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Carlos Rogers was a shining star in ’11, and he proved that Trent Baalke knows how to find the right talent to fit the team’s needs. Interestingly, Rogers is known for his six interceptions en route to his Pro Bowl season. But he was also one of the best at tackling.

According to ProFootballfocus.com, Rogers was one of seven CBs in the league who did not miss a tackle when a runner turned the corner. And in the NFL, there are two lost arts. The first is the ability to catch consistently, the second is the lost art of tackling.

The Niners excelled in tackling; Rogers was a poster boy. That’s why his contract demands may spike this year, but he’s worth it. In Fangio’s defense, minimizing gains with good tackling is the key.

Right CB

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Tarell Brown quietly came of age in 2011. Again, according to Profootballfocus.com, Brown was one of the best at tackling. He played more than 900 snaps and he had 44 chances at tackling runners who gained the edge. Of those, he missed only three tackles.

This is one position the Niners would love to add a shutdown player; someone who takes a Larry Fitzgerald out of the game. Unfortunately, they are a rare breed. And expensive.

Brown provided decent coverage. Of course, part of that is due to the schemes run by Fangio that allowed him to keep two safeties deep to help the corners and nickelbacks. Brown should start but if Chris Culliver (who played the nickel) continues to improve, look for these two to switch.

Safety

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Donte Whitner’s hit on Pierre Thomas in the NFC Divisional playoff game cemented his place in San Francisco for about, oh, four more years.

Heady, aggressive and consistent.

Safety

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Dashon Goldson (38) is another Carlos Rogers. He played well and had a career year. More importantly, his ability to roam free in Fangio’s schemes allowed him to make the plays as he led the team with seven interceptions over 18 games.

He wants a big contract. Give it to him.

Nickel

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Chris Culliver, the rookie out of South Carolina, was a strong pickup. If anything, the Niners might select a big CB late in the draft to see if he can become strong at press coverage. But those are hard to find past the early rounds, at so look for Culliver to remain.