5 Biggest Needs the San Francisco 49ers Have Yet to Address This Offseason
Fans of the San Francisco 49ers can be forgiven for believing that this offseason has been nothing but a disaster.
Questions are being asked, such as “are the 49ers experiencing the worst offseason in NFL history?” and, much more bluntly, “are the 49ers f---d?” Losing Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Mike Iupati, Chris Culliver, Perrish Cox, Frank Gore and Stevie Johnson in one offseason is rough, and there’s every reason to be negative.
However, behind all those losses, general manager Trent Baalke and the front office have been making moves to try to alleviate some of the more pressing needs facing the 49ers in 2015.
They started before free agency by signing Darnell Dockett to a low-risk contract, coming off his torn ACL. They made an uncharacteristically big splash with the signing of Torrey Smith, the top wide receiver to actually switch teams this offseason. They shored up their running back depth by finally getting Reggie Bush, whom they wanted to draft all the way back in 2006. These are all positive additions.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, however. Whether it be by digging through the second and third tiers of free agency or by using top draft picks, Baalke and company still need to make plenty of moves to help the 49ers stay competitive. The team is perceived as being in a downward spiral, and only by acing every move it makes this offseason can the 49ers level off and have a chance at the playoffs in the upcoming year.
These needs are ranked in order of need, from least to most. The fifth-place need, in other words, could wait until the third round of the draft before being seriously considered, while the top couple of needs should be considered with the 15th overall pick. Before we get to the top five, however, let’s look at some honorable mentions—needs which exist but are far from pressing.
Honorable Mentions
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Honorable Mentions
A Backup Quarterback
Blaine Gabbert is not a solid backup quarterback at this point in his career. Blaine Gabbert is not a solid developmental quarterback at this point in his career. I’m not entirely certain Blaine Gabbert is a solid camp arm at this point in his career.
The 49ers need a better option behind Colin Kaepernick in case of injury or massive regression. Without a lot of solid names available in free agency this season, the 49ers perhaps could have made worse choices than keeping Gabbert for continuity reasons if nothing else, but he’s not an answer at the position. Someone like Oregon State’s Sean Mannion might be a solid draft pick in a later round.
A Pass-Rusher
The 49ers re-worked Aldon Smith’s contract to give them some protection in case Smith misses games in 2015. With his history of suspensions and off-field incidents, this was a wise precaution. If Smith has really turned his life around, the 49ers are set at outside linebacker.
With promising rookie Aaron Lynch manning the other side and veteran Ahmad Brooks surprisingly still on the roster, the 49ers can compete here. However, if Smith gets in trouble yet again, the 49ers will need help here. A draft pick could be used as insurance in case Smith gets in trouble again.
Cornerback Depth
A lot of people have this as one of San Francisco’s most pressing needs this offseason, but I view the position differently.
Yes, the 49ers lost Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox, but they’ve used the last couple of years to add a bit of depth to the position. In last year’s draft, the 49ers added Jimmie Ward, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker to the roster.
They also re-signed Chris Cook and added Shareece Wright in free agency. While that’s a bunch of un-proven and lower-quality players, the odds are at least a couple of them turn out alright behind Tramaine Brock. The 49ers could still use a draft pick or a free agent such as Sterling Moore, who visited the 49ers Wednesday, per CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco, but it’s not the most pressing need the team has.
5. A Long-Term Answer at Tight End
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Vernon Davis’ contract expires at the end of this upcoming season, per Spotrac. In addition, it’s not like he was exactly lights-out last year, as he put up his worst numbers as a starter, catching only 26 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
At age 31, he’s probably far into the downside of his career as well. While you have a few older tight ends still able to produce past age 31—Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Heath Miller all spring to mind—Davis has really only had one solid season in the past three years. I’d be very surprised if he’s still on the 49ers next season.
Behind Davis, the 49ers have a number of intriguing, if unproven, options. On the roster at the moment are Garrett Celek, Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier and Asante Cleveland. None of them exactly scream future superstar, but there is some potential there.
McDonald and Carrier, especially, flashed promise as run-blockers, if not so much in the passing game, last season. Celek’s probably the best pass-catcher out of that bunch, but he only appeared briefly in three games at the end of 2014, so he can’t be counted on yet.
The 49ers could start looking to fill the position with a draft pick starting in the third round or so. A player such as Jeff Heuerman of Ohio State would be available at that time and would give the 49ers a more solid future at the position—or, at the very least, more competition for Davis’ eventual replacement.
4. Competition at Guard
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Mike Iupati is gone, off to Arizona for an $8 million-per-year contract, per Spotrac. He’ll need to be replaced immediately. In addition, Alex Boone’s contract expires at the end of 2015 as well, leaving a potential hole at the other guard position.
The 49ers, in theory, have an answer for both players leaving. Between two draft picks from last season—Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin—as well as the returning veteran Daniel Kilgore, the 49ers have three potential starting interior linemen for the three positions.
They also have experienced backup Joe Looney, free-agent acquisition Erik Pears and developmental players such as Fonoti Fouimalo and Andrew Tiller on the roster as well in an emergency, in case one of the three players mentioned do not develop.
Because the 49ers have a realistic plan A, I can’t put guard higher on the list than fourth. However, their plan involves a redshirt offensive lineman coming off a torn ACL, and they don’t really have a solid plan B in case he doesn’t work out at the NFL level. This isn’t like cornerback, where the 49ers have a ton of players who could work out—the level of potential for the players at guard is notably lower.
I could see the 49ers addressing the need at guard as early as the second round of the draft with an A.J. Cann out of South Carolina or Laken Tomlinson from Duke. They have more pressing needs to address in the first round, but shoring up an offensive line that allowed 52 sacks last season is definitely worthy of early consideration.
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3. A Replacement for Justin Smith
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First of all, we don’t know if Justin Smith is retiring or not. Reports of his retirement keep popping up at regular intervals, with NFL Media's Alex Flanagan (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) reporting such back in December and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reporting the same two weeks ago, but Smith has yet to officially make up his mind.
Even if Smith doesn’t retire this offseason, however, the writing is on the wall. Smith will turn 36 during the 2015 season, and 36-year-old defensive linemen don’t typically have long careers left in front of them. Even if he plays in 2015, I’d be surprised if he lasts much longer.
The 49ers see a lot of promise in Tank Carradine, but he’ll be busy replacing Ray McDonald on the other side of the defensive line. The 49ers also added Darnell Dockett, but he’s not exactly going to replace Smith—Dockett will be 34 himself this upcoming season and missed all of 2014 with a torn ACL. Dockett is a short-term rotational answer, not a long-term replacement.
The 49ers simply must draft a defensive end at some point in the draft. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a pick in the first couple of rounds, though. There are quality players in the area of the third round the 49ers could go for, such as Florida State’s Mario Edwards or Kentucky’s Za’Darius Smith, who could help shore up the position while still letting the 49ers address other needs with crucial picks.
If Justin Smith does retire, the need becomes more severe, though I don’t think it can actually move any higher than this. That’s how pressing the top two needs are.
2. An Inside Linebacker
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It was just two weeks ago that the 49ers boasted the best inside linebacking unit in all of football. They had a future Hall of Famer in Patrick Willis starting next to a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in NaVorro Bowman.
Behind them, they had one of the most promising rookies in all of football in Chris Borland and a very solid backup veteran in Michael Wilhoite—they were so deep, they were reportedly trying to trade Wilhoite, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. The position was so deep I only had one inside linebacker among the top 46 players in the draft for the 49ers.
Now, of course, all of that is out the window.
Willis has retired, citing a desire to remain at the top of his game and a foot injury. Borland has retired, citing a desire to not get hit in the head repeatedly. There are rumors about Bowman’s recovery from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2014 season, with ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez reporting that “speculation is rampant that Bowman could be cut, as well, a did-not-pass-the-physical casualty.”
That last bit is probably overly conjectural, as Trent Baalke has said that Bowman is in “a good place” with his recovery, but it’s fair to say that counting on a player to return to 100 percent following a gruesome knee injury isn’t the safest strategy in the world.
So, a position that wasn’t even on the radar two weeks ago all of a sudden becomes a potential first-round need.
Bowman is still elite, if healthy, but the 49ers have gone from two elite players in Bowman and Willis, to an elite player and a very good one in Bowman and Borland, to an elite player and a below-average starter in Bowman and Wilhoite. The 49ers need to address the position, as Wilhoite starting is not good for an entire season.
There are some free agents still available in Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes, both of whom would be upgrades over Wilhoite. Either would be a solid signing to stem the bleeding and return Wilhoite to his position as a very solid backup and rotational player.
If the 49ers do not sign a player in free agency, they absolutely must take a linebacker in the draft. It really would need to be on the first two days as well or the fourth round at the latest. The 49ers don’t need a developmental prospect; they need someone who can contribute immediately.
There probably isn’t a great option at the 15th pick to fill the role, though you could make an argument for UCLA’s Eric Kendricks. The value is probably more there in Round 2, where players such as Mississippi State’s Benardrick McKinney, Clemson’s Stephone Anthony and TCU’s Paul Dawson are expected to come off the board. Any would be a welcome addition to the 49ers defense.
1. A No. 1 Wide Receiver
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Don’t get me wrong—Torrey Smith is an upgrade over Michael Crabtree or Stevie Johnson, and Anquan Boldin still has some of the surest hands in the game. Using Boldin as a possession receiver, Smith as a deep threat and either Bruce Ellington or Quinton Patton as a third option out of the slot has some potential.
None of those players, however, are a true No. 1 receiver—a player who can do anything on the field. The 49ers lack a player who gives opposing secondaries matchup nightmares or who can be counted upon to make any catch anytime.
The 49ers don’t have a Calvin Johnson or Demaryius Thomas-type player who can take control of a game. I’m not even necessarily talking about an elite player—the 49ers are loaded with good receivers, but they don’t have anyone up that next rung, a very good player who can be a franchise receiver for years to come.
Even if you think Torrey Smith can continue to develop into that sort of player—which the jury is definitely still out on—the team still needs to find a running mate for him. Boldin’s not going to last forever, and his contract voids at the end of this season. Maybe Ellington or Patton develops into that player, but there’s a reason they lasted until the latter half of the draft. Their ceilings are lower than top talents.
The last few years have seen players such as Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins and T.Y. Hilton enter the league, and that’s what the 49ers need. While this year’s draft isn’t quite as top-heavy as 2014’s was at the receiver position, there are still 13 receivers with a grade in the first two rounds, according to CBSSports.com.
Any scenario which sees the 49ers coming out of the 2015 draft with none of those players is a failure, plain and simple.
Bryan Knowles is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.
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