Projecting San Francisco 49ers' Depth Chart After Peak of Free Agency
The San Francisco 49ers’ roster hasn’t been this bad in years.
Every position group on the Niners has problems. None of them deserves an A or an “A-minus” or even a “B-plus.” The 49ers’ depth chart is a collection of B’s and “B-minuses” with some D’s sprinkled in.
Of course, the offseason isn’t over. The peak of free agency has passed, but the draft hasn’t happened yet. And the 49ers make their biggest moves during the draft. According to general manager Trent Baalke, the 49ers consider the draft “wholesale shopping” and free agency “retail shopping.” The Niners prefer to shop wholesale—it’s cheaper than retail.
Unfortunately, the Niners can’t draft coaches. For now, they’re stuck with the ones they have. They can’t get better ones until next offseason.
It’s time to take stock of the 49ers’ depth chart and coaching staff leading into the draft. Here is a complete depth chart plus analysis and grades for each position group, the head coach and his potential replacements.
Quarterback
1 of 11
2. Blaine Gabbert
Analysis: I’m going out on a limb—Kaepernick will be the starter.
The backup is reputed to be Gabbert. Heaven help the Niners if it’s him. Having Gabbert back up Kaepernick is like having no one back up Kaepernick. When Gabbert is the backup quarterback, it’s time to draft a new backup quarterback.
Grade: B-. Kaepernick is one of the 20 best starters in the NFL. He gives the 49ers a chance to win nine or 10 games next season. If he suffers a season-ending injury in training camp, the 49ers might go 0-16 without him. Gabbert is that bad. Putting him in the game is the equivalent to throwing in the towel or waving the white flag. Gabbert is a human white flag. He cannot lead the 49ers to the playoffs next season as backup quarterback, and Drew Stanton led the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs last season. Gabbert is a waste of a roster spot and salary-cap space.
Running Back
2 of 11
1. Carlos Hyde
2. Reggie Bush
3. Kendall Hunter
Analysis: This assumes Hunter makes it through training camp. Last year, he tore his ACL cutting during a non-contact drill in July. No one had touched him. He planted his leg, it gave out and he crumpled. He did something similar in 2012. The 49ers were playing the Saints in New Orleans. Hunter cut and tore his Achilles. No one had touched him. It’s like his ligaments spontaneously combust. He has missed 21 games the past three seasons.
Grade: B-. Hyde is a B-plus starter, but his backups are injury-prone. Bush missed seven games last season and two the season before. He’s 30, and he may not make it through all 16 regular-season games next season. The Niners are too dependent on Hyde staying healthy, just as they’re too dependent on Kaepernick staying healthy.
Fullback
3 of 11
1. Bruce Miller
2. Trey Millard
Analysis: Miller isn’t an instinctual runner—he was a defensive end at the University of Central Florida. He is a poor running back, even for a fullback. But he is one of the strongest players on the 49ers and one of the best lead blockers in the NFL.
Millard is good at everything except blocking. He’s a good receiver and a good running back for a fullback, but he’s a weak lead blocker. And he hasn’t played in a game since he tore his ACL in October of 2013.
Miller and Millard have very little in common. They complement each other.
Grade: B. Miller was arrested on March 5 for allegedly pushing his fiancee to the ground, according to Robert Salonga of the San Jose Mercury News. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office hasn’t filed charges. If it does, Miller could face suspension. Losing Miller would weaken the 49ers’ running game—they rely on his crushing lead blocks. Millard can’t replace those.
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Wide Receiver
4 of 11
1. Anquan Boldin
2. Torrey Smith
3. Jerome Simpson
4. Bruce Ellington
5. Quinton Patton
Analysis: Of course, Boldin is No. 1, and Smith is No. 2. But they exist as a combination. Each guy will make the other one better. Boldin is a threat underneath, and that makes Smith a threat deep. Smith’s threat as a deep receiver gives Boldin room underneath. They go together like pork and beans. If Boldin gets hurt, Smith will suffer and vice versa. So Boldin and Smith really are 1A and 1B.
Jerome Simpson is a decent No. 3, but, come on—none of us expects him to be the No. 3 receiver when the season starts. Most of us expect the 49ers to take a wide receiver during the first few rounds of the upcoming draft, and most of us expect that player will become the Niners’ No. 3 receiver next season.
The other receivers are insignificant. Bruce Ellington averaged only 8.2 yards per catch last season. He might be just a special teamer. And Quinton Patton caught six passes his first two seasons in the league. He might not make the final roster this year.
Grade: B. Terrific starters, so-so backups.
Tight End
5 of 11
1. Vernon Davis
2. Vance McDonald
3. Garrett Celek
4. Derek Carrier
Analysis: In the 1999 film Bowfinger, movie director Robert K. Bowfinger (Steve Martin) needs to cast movie star Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) as the lead role in his latest movie. Kit refuses to be in it, so Bowfinger follows him around and films him anyway, and he fills in the rest with Kit’s non-actor brother, Jiff Ramsey (Eddie Murphy once again).
Vernon Davis was the Jiff Ramsey of tight ends last season. He was nowhere near being Kit. When television cameras zoomed in on Davis, you almost expected to see someone else’s face inside the helmet, someone with braces and a confused grin who seemed to be thinking, “What do I do?”
Grade: D. No position group on the 49ers is worse. The Niners might have the worst tight ends in the league, depending on how Vernon Davis plays. If he’s Jiff again next season, this group is an F. If he’s Kit, this group is a C.
The backups are subpar. McDonald can block, but he’s not a good receiver. And he missed eight games last season with a back injury. Celek missed 13 games last season with a back injury. The Niners must consider drafting a tight end or a tight end/wide receiver hybrid in the second or third round, someone like Clive Walford from the University of Miami or Devin Funchess from the University of Michigan.
Offensive Line
6 of 11
Left tackle: Joe Staley, Erik Pears
Left guard: Brandon Thomas, Joe Looney
Center: Daniel Kilgore, Marcus Martin
Right guard: Alex Boone, Erik Pears
Right tackle: Anthony Davis, Erik Pears
Analysis: Alex Boone missed one game the past four seasons, and Joe Staley missed zero. The 49ers can count on those two.
But they can’t count on the other three starting offensive linemen—Davis, Kilgore and Thomas. They missed 38 games combined last season. Thomas tore his ACL, Kilgore broke his leg and Davis had a bunch of injuries. Their backups—Pears, Martin and Looney—were terrible in 2014. If any of those three has to play more than a few snaps next season, the Niners are in trouble.
Grade: B-. This group is solid if Davis, Kilgore and Thomas each plays all 16 games. Davis and Kilgore are terrific run-blockers. Thomas hasn’t played a snap in the NFL, but he’s strong. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 36 times at the 2014 combine—nine more reps than powerful Mike Iupati managed in 2010.
Defensive Line
7 of 11
Left defensive tackle: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Quinton Dial, Kaleb Ramsey
Nose tackle: Ian Williams, Glenn Dorsey
Right defensive tackle: Justin Smith, Darnell Dockett, Tank Carradine
Analysis: Until Smith officially retires, he is the starting right defensive tackle. Last season, he was 35, and he hardly practiced during the week. He still was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. The Niners need to do whatever it takes to convince him to play one more season. They need to make him an offer he can’t refuse.
If he refuses anyway and chooses to retire, Dockett will take his place as the starting right defensive tackle, and Carradine will be Dockett’s backup.
The starting left defensive tackle will be Jerod-Eddie. He was Ray McDonald’s primary backup the past few seasons. But Dial is more talented than Jerod-Eddie. Dial will get plenty of opportunity to take Jerod-Eddie’s job in training camp.
Grade: B. If the 49ers hadn’t released McDonald, this group would be a B-plus or an A-minus.
Linebackers
8 of 11
Left outside linebacker: Aaron Lynch, Ahmad Brooks
Left inside linebacker: Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody
Right inside linebacker: NaVorro Bowman, Desmond Bishop
Right outside linebacker: Aldon Smith, Corey Lemonier
Analysis: Aaron Lynch is a rising star. He’s only 22 years old, and he might be the best linebacker the 49ers have. If Aldon Smith’s career continues to nosedive, Lynch can take his place as the 49ers’ primary weak-side edge-rusher.
If Smith revives his career, the 49ers will have one of the best edge-rushing duos in the NFL.
The Niners’ problem lies at inside linebacker. Bowman is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. Who knows how good he will be? His backup, Desmond Bishop, has played just six games the past three seasons—he tore his hamstring in 2012 and his ACL in 2013.
The other starting inside linebacker, Michael Wilhoite, is a former college safety who found his niche in the NFL as a special teams player. The Niners need to draft a linebacker to replace Wilhoite in the starting lineup.
Grade: B-. The grade could become a B or a B-plus depending on which inside linebacker the 49ers draft to replace Wilhoite.
Secondary
9 of 11
Left cornerback: Tramaine Brock, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser
Slot cornerback: Jimmie Ward, Dontae Johnson
Right cornerback: Shareece Wright, Chris Cook, Kenneth Acker
Strong safety: Antoine Bethea, Craig Dahl, L.J. McCray
Free safety: Eric Reid, Craig Dahl, Jimmie Ward
Analysis: This is not a great secondary, but it is one that creates turnovers. Last season, Bethea intercepted four passes, and Reid intercepted three. The season before, Brock intercepted five passes (he played just two games in 2014). Ward didn’t intercept any passes as a rookie, but he intercepted seven as a senior at Northern Illinois University.
The only defensive back in the Niners’ starting lineup who doesn’t intercept passes is Wright. He has just one pick in his career. The Niners probably will draft a cornerback to compete with Wright for the starting right cornerback job.
Grade: B-. The safeties are the two best players in the 49ers secondary, but there are question marks. Bethea turns 31 on July 27, and Reid has had three concussions already in two NFL seasons. Any time either player comes off the field, the Niners defense practically falls apart. Their backup safeties are bad. Dahl and McCray are assets on special teams, but they’re liabilities on defense. And Ward is too small (5'11", 193 lbs) to play safety in the NFL. The Niners would be smart to draft a backup safety.
Special Teams
10 of 11
K: Phil Dawson
P: Andy Lee
KR: Bruce Ellington, Jarryd Hayne, Carlos Hyde, Trindon Holliday
PR: Bruce Ellington, Jarryd Hayne, Reggie Bush, Trindon Holliday
Analysis: Lee might be one of the five best players left on the team. He certainly has been one of the best punters in the NFL since he came into the league 11 years ago.
Dawson still is an accurate place-kicker, but he’s losing distance on his kickoffs. He’s kicking fewer and fewer touchbacks.
Ellington is a solid returner, but the 49ers have been trying to get a better return man all offseason. They met with Ted Ginn Jr. before he signed with the Carolina Panthers, and they signed rugby league star Jarryd Hayne, whom they list as a kick returner. They also signed Reggie Bush, who used to be a punt returner but hasn’t returned one since 2011.
Grade: B. It’s fairly obvious the 49ers will take a return man in the draft. Don’t be surprised if they draft former Stanford return specialist Ty Montgomery. Montgomery returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2013, but injuries slowed him down in 2014. Some teams might see him as injured goods, but Baalke loves taking chances on injured players.
Head Coach
11 of 11
1. Jim Tomsula
2. Eric Mangini
3. Tony Sparano
Analysis: Tomsula is in the running for worst head coach in the NFL. He hasn’t even been a coordinator in the NFL. He’s a defensive line coach who probably got overpromoted. If he lasts the entire season, he will exceed expectations.
If the 49ers fire Tomsula midseason, they can make Mangini the interim head coach. Mangini has five years of head coaching experience—three with the New York Jets, two with the Cleveland Browns. Of course, he was a terrible head coach. He won just 33 games and lost 47.
If he flops again, this time as the 49ers’ interim head coach, the Niners can fire him and make Sparano the interim-interim head coach. Sparano was the Oakland Raiders’ interim head coach last season. He was a good one. He might be even better as an interim-interim guy.
Grade: D. Sparano should be the head coach, not Tomsula. If Sparano were the head coach, the Niners staff would be a D-plus, not a D.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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