San Francisco 49ers: 5 Under the Radar Free Agents Who Can Upgrade the Team

There are a handful of free agents you might not have thought about that could improve the overall depth and talent level of the San Francisco 49ers in 2012.

While these men aren't the creme of the crop, Trent Baalke surely showed last year that he's more than capable of scouting for the players who aren't as highly-touted as their soon-to-be-rich peers to find the diamonds in the rough.

Let me know what you think about these options in the comments section below. 

Enjoy.

Anthony Gonzalez, Wide Receiver

Since the emergence of Pierre Garcon for the Indianapolis Colts, Anthony Gonzalez has fallen off the radar. Gonzalez had a couple of productive years for them before that, however.

Gonzalez could be brought in on the cheap to compete for the 49ers fourth wide receiver spot. He's a savvy veteran with decent speed, excellent agility and footwork for route-running, soft hands and a willingness to go over the middle.

He reminds me of a Jim Harbaugh kind of guy.

He would be a perfect candidate to bring into training camp to create much-needed competition at the wide receiver position without much risk involved to the team from a financial standpoint.

Cadillac Williams, Running Back

After investing a fourth-round pick into Kendall Hunter in last year's draft, I highly doubt the 49ers feel the need to draft another running back this year. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Hunter killed it when he had the chance last year, either.

Cadillac Williams is an upgrade over Anthony Dixon. He is about the same age as Frank Gore, so the team wouldn't consider anything more than a one-to-two-year deal.

He could be a good addition to the team, because if anything happened to Gore in 2012, you know Williams could step right in to handle at least half of the load.

The downside to taking a guy like Williams is that he might not be able to contribute in special teams in the same way that Dixon was able to. 

Still, he has good hands, is a powerful runner in between the tackles and isn't prone to fumbling the football, all of which would benefit the team.

Dan Connolly, Offensive Guard

Dan Connolly is a veteran guard/center whose playing days are far from over. Although he is 29 years old, Connolly has only been starting the last two years.

He's a late bloomer.

He is also an upgrade over Adam Snyder (who I still would like to keep), and he could be invaluable to the 49ers due to his ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line. 

He was part of the Patriots stellar offensive line in 2011, a unit that only allowed 34 sacks (T-ninth in NFL) and did a good job running the ball when they wanted to, especially in the red zone.

He could be a cheaper version of what we all hope we might see if Carl Nicks somehow were to make his way to the bay area.

Adam Carriker, Defensive End

After struggling to adapt to the NFL game for the first three years of his young career, Adam Carriker finally started seeing his production increase in his fourth year.

Carriker is a man that reminds me of the 49ers own Justin Smith. Smith wasn't a force in the league until later in his career after he moved to San Francisco and started excelling in the 3-4 defense.

Carriker could become the missing piece for the 49ers on their defensive line. Adding him would give the team much-needed depth at a position where, after Justin Smith and Ray McDonald, they are incredibly thin.

I would be thrilled to see Carriker wearing red and gold in 2012. 

Aaron Ross, Cornerback

The New York Giants have some major financial decisions to make. They want to re-sign a bunch of key players like Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Kareem McKenzie, Steve Weatherford and Rocky Bernard.

Ross could fall through the cracks, and the 49ers would be lucky to land him.

Ross' career got off to a solid start. His first two years were signs of better things to come. Unfortunately for Ross, the next two years weren't so kind.

He made a comeback in 2011 after Terrell Thomas was injured, collecting four interceptions and playing a major part in the Giants' Super Bowl run.

The 49ers would be sitting pretty with Carlos Rogers (assuming he is re-signed), Chris Culliver and Aaron Ross as their three top cornerbacks. 

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