5 Biggest Needs San Francisco 49ers Still Must Address This Offseason

The San Francisco 49ers have addressed three key needs so far this offseason:

1. Cornerback. Last year’s starting corners—Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox—signed with the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans respectively. To replace them, the 49ers signed Chris Cook and Shareece Wright. Wright probably will start opposite Tramaine Brock, the 49ers’ best cornerback. Brock suffered a turf-toe injury Week 1 last season and never fully recovered. If Brock is healthy, he and Wright could be a better tandem than Culliver and Cox.

2. Scatback. The 49ers didn’t have any scatbacks most of last season. Kendall Hunter tore his ACL during training camp, and San Francisco cut LaMichael James after Week 1. Without those two, the 49ers didn’t have a running back with speed. The Niners fixed that problem this offseason when they signed Reggie Bush. Even though he’s 30, he still should be an effective scatback—someone who runs to the outside and catches passes. If Bush’s 30-year-old body happens to break down, Hunter should be healthy and ready to take his place.

3. Deep-threat wide receiver. Brandon Lloyd was the Niners’ only deep threat last season. He’s a free agent now. The Niners don’t seem to have any interest in him, and neither do any other teams. He turns 34 in July. The 49ers replaced him this offseason with two deep threats in their 20s—Torrey Smith (26) and Jerome Simpson (29).

Counting those additions to the roster, the 49ers still must address the following five needs.

Inside Linebacker

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This was a top need even before Chris Borland retired.

Borland was a terrific old-style run-plugger between the tackles. But he couldn’t run fast or cover or do half of the things Patrick Willis could do. As soon as Willis retired, the 49ers had to find a linebacker to platoon with Borland.

Now Borland is history, and the Niners need a linebacker who can start Week 1 and play three downs against most teams. Good luck finding a linebacker like that two weeks into free agency.

Most of the linebackers still available on the free-agent market, such as Rolando McClain and Mason Foster, cannot cover. Other players must replace them on third down, a passing down. McClain and Foster are not what the Niners are looking for.

The Niners should be looking for a linebacker in the draft, one of the top inside linebackers available—someone in the first round or second round. Clemson’s Stephone Anthony is a three-down linebacker. Teams are expected to draft him in Round 2.

Guard

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Colin Kaepernick got sacked 52 times last season. Mike Iupati gave up seven of those sacks. Now Iupati is with the Arizona Cardinals, and the 49ers need a new left guard.

Last year, the Niners spent a third-round pick on guard Brandon Thomas, who has the talent to become a solid player, although he already has torn his right and left ACL. He was a rookie last season, and he didn’t play or practice. There is no guarantee he will be able to start or even play Week 1 next season. The Niners need another guard for insurance.

They recently signed Erik Pears, who played guard and tackle for the Buffalo Bills the past few seasons. He didn’t play either position particularly well. The 49ers probably envision Pears as an upgrade over Jonathan Martin as the backup offensive tackle.

The 49ers really need an upgrade over Iupati because they're weak in pass protection. Stanford’s Andrus Peat would be an upgrade even though he played left tackle in college. The Niners could draft Peat with their first-round pick.

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys drafted an offensive tackle with their first-round pick and made him play guard. His name is Zack Martin. Martin gave up zero sacks and was first-team All-Pro as a rookie. Peat could be that player for the Niners next season.

Future No. 1 Wide Receiver

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Anquan Boldin has just one year left on his contract. If next offseason he signs with another team or decides to retire, the 49ers will need a new No. 1 receiver.

Torrey Smith is a very good receiver, a terrific complementary receiver, but he’s not a No. 1. He’s a No. 2.

The top three receivers in the draft—Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker—seem like future No. 1s. If one falls to the 49ers at pick No. 15, San Francisco should consider taking him.

Some experts consider Dorial Green-Beckham better than Cooper, White and Parker. Some consider Green-Beckham the second coming of Randy Moss.

Green-Beckham is a freak athlete in the good sense, but he has been arrested twice for possession of marijuana and was dismissed from the University of Missouri football team. He might be a better fit on a team with a strong veteran locker room like the New England Patriots. The 49ers lost most of their strong veteran leaders.

The Niners may find a future No. 1 receiver as late as Round 3, someone like Phillip Dorsett from the University of Miami (Florida), Tre McBride from the College of William & Mary or Justin Hardy from East Carolina University.

Defensive End

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The 49ers still haven’t replaced Ray McDonald.

McDonald played left defensive end. That’s a run-stopper’s position. His replacement, Darnell Dockett, is not run-stopper. He’s a pass-rushing specialist. He is not good against the run and is a bad fit at left end.

A better fit would be free agent Red Bryant. He was the Seattle Seahawks’ left end for years. He played last season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they released him this offseason. He still is a great run-stopper.

But the 49ers have less than $10 million in cap space, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Bryant may be too expensive.

Here is what the Niners could do instead: Move Glenn Dorsey from nose tackle to left end then draft another nose tackle.

Dorsey played defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs before he signed with the 49ers. Dorsey is a terrific run defender at any position on the defensive line.

The best nose tackle in the draft is Danny Shelton from the University of Washington. Shelton should be available when the 49ers pick in Round 1.

Running Back

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Last season, the 49ers had two running backs who could run either inside or outside—Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde.

The 49ers lost Gore—he signed with the Indianapolis Colts. The Niners need a power running back to replace Gore and to back up Hyde.

The 49ers could have signed Roy Helu or Trent Richardson. Either would have made a fine backup. But the Oakland Raiders signed them, so the Niners have to find Hyde’s backup in the draft.

The past four years, the 49ers have alternated between drafting a running back in the second round and the fourth round. In 2011, they drafted Kendall Hunter in the fourth round. In 2012, they drafted LaMichael James in the second round. In 2013, they drafted Marcus Lattimore in the fourth round. And in 2014, they drafted Hyde in the second round.

If that pattern continues this year, the 49ers may draft Javorius “Buck” Allen, a 221-pound power-running back from USC. He should be available when the 49ers pick in the fourth round. He would be a perfect backup for Hyde.