Top 5 Areas San Francisco 49ers Must Improve in 2015
The San Francisco 49ers’ biggest need this offseason is wide receiver. But the position that needs the most improvement is not wide receiver. I’ll explain.
There is a distinction between a team’s needs and the areas in which it must improve. A need is something a team lacks, like a starter at a certain position. If the 49ers let Michael Crabtree sign elsewhere, then they would need to sign or draft someone from outside the organization to be the new starting wide receiver.
An area that must improve is a position that has a starter who isn’t very good. It’s a broader concept.
Here are the positions the 49ers most need to improve this offseason, starting from the positions that need moderate improvement, to full-on crisis.
5. Wide Receiver
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Yes, the 49ers need another starting wide receiver, but they already have a good one.
Anquan Boldin is the best player on the Niners’ offense. He’s the go-to guy. Colin Kaepernick threw Boldin 130 passes last season, and you could argue 130 wasn’t enough.
On 3rd-and-7, we all know where the pass is going. To Boldin. And somehow he still catches it. He’s a future Hall of Famer.
But he needs a speed receiver to complement him. Boldin might be the slowest receiver in the NFL. He’s at his best catching short and intermediate passes over the middle. A speed receiver on the other side of the field would give Boldin more room to work.
A speed receiver also would help the 49ers’ running game. It looks like a goal-line stand every time the 49ers line up on 1st-and-10. All 11 players on the opposing defense stand near the line of scrimmage, daring Kaepernick to throw deep. But he can’t. He doesn’t have a deep threat.
The 49ers can get a good one in the upcoming draft, specifically in Rounds 1, 2 or 3.
4. Running Back
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The 49ers are a run-first team, but a team that may be losing its starting running back.
If Frank Gore signs with another team in free agency, second-year running back Carlos Hyde would become the starter. The 49ers drafted him in the second round last year. They’re committed to him.
No one doubts Hyde’s talent, but if he’s going to carry the load, he needs to make significant strides. His production wasn’t good enough last season. He averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. The league average was 4.2.
Hyde was in a hurry his rookie season. He barged into the line of scrimmage as fast as he could. The 49ers’ power running plays require patience and timing. The running back has to slow down and wait for a fullback and a 300-pound guard to lead the way through a specific hole.
Hyde didn’t run plays like that in college. At Ohio State, he ran zone-blocking plays. He didn’t have to wait for anyone, and he could run wherever he wanted.
As long as the 49ers have Joe Staley, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis on the offensive line—power run-blockers—the Niners will have a couple of power running plays in the playbook. Hyde has to learn how to run them.
3. Offensive Line
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The offensive line deserves some of the blame for Hyde’s below-average production.
Right tackle Anthony Davis is one of the best run-blockers in the NFL, and he missed nine games. His replacement, Jonathan Martin, was awful.
Right guard Alex Boone held out of training camp last year and had a down season.
Left guard Mike Iupati hobbled around the field due to lingering leg injuries. He’s a free agent and most likely will sign with another team.
Left tackle Joe Staley turned 30 last season. His play started to slip, although he still played well.
The 49ers can’t expect Staley to get better as he enters his early 30s. But they can expect Boone to show up for training camp and to be in shape. They can expect Davis not to pull his hamstring like he did in training camp last year.
If Davis and Boone meet expectations and improve, the 49ers’ running game should be pretty good.
If the Niners spend a first-round pick on an offensive linemen to replace Iupati, the running game could be really good, and the offensive line could be one of the best in the NFL like it was in 2012.
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2. Tight End
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The Niners may have had the worst tight end duo in the NFL last season.
Last year, Vernon Davis didn’t attend the portion of the offseason when coaches install the offense. Vernon Davis held out of mini-camp and OTAs. When he returned for training camp, the coaches never integrated him into the offense.
For the first time in Vernon Davis’ career, he looked slow. And he was a bad blocker, too. He was just bad.
The season before, he went to the Pro Bowl. He was one of the best tight ends in the NFL. The 49ers need Good Vernon back.
The Niners need Good Vance, too, but he may not exist. The 49ers drafted Vance McDonald in the second round in 2013, and he was supposed to replace Delanie Walker. In two seasons, McDonald has caught 11 passes and dropped four. There may be no hope for him. The Niners should consider replacing him in the draft.
1. Quarterback
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If the 49ers don’t fix Kaepernick, it won’t matter which tight end or wide receiver they covet or how high they draft them.
The quarterback makes the offense go. If he isn’t good enough, the offense won’t go anywhere.
Just look at the Bears. That offense has a great collection of skill players—running back Matt Forte, tight end Martellus Bennett and wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Even with all of that firepower, the Bears ranked 23rd out of 32 offenses last season. They scored just 19.9 points per game.
Why?
Because their quarterback, Jay Cutler, holds back the whole team. Until the Bears fix him or replace him, they’re stuck in neutral.
The same goes for the Niners. Kaepernick’s passer rating was 86.4 last season. Cutler’s was 88.6.
Most of Kaepernick’s 2014 numbers fell below the league average. He completed 60.5 percent of his passes; the league average was 62.6 percent. He averaged 7.0 yards per pass attempt; the league average was 7.2. His touchdown percentage was 4.0; the league average was 4.5. His accuracy, touch, vision, anticipation and recognition of coverages were deficient.
Trading up to get the best receiver in the draft won’t magically make the 49ers’ offense good. It will be good when Kaepernick is good. On the 49ers, quarterback is the position that needs the most improvement.
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