Identifying San Francisco 49ers' Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses After Draft
Last season, the San Francisco 49ers' strength was defense, and the weakness was offense.
The defense ranked 10th in points allowed. The offense ranked 25th in points scored. So it would have made sense if the Niners focused on offense early in the recent draft.
They didn’t. They spent their first three picks on defensive players—defensive end Arik Armstead in Round 1, safety Jaquiski Tartt in Round 2 and outside linebacker Eli Harold in Round 2.
In general, the Niners built on their strength and neglected their weakness.
What effect did that have on the individual position groups? Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 49ers’ four biggest strengths and four biggest weaknesses.
STRENGTH: Safety
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Starting strong safety Antoine Bethea made the Pro Bowl in 2014, and starting free safety Eric Reid made the Pro Bowl in 2013. Their primary backup—Jimmie Ward—was a first-round pick last year.
Safety was a position of strength even before the draft.
Sure, Ward broke his foot last year, Reid has suffered three concussions in two years and Bethea turns 31 in July. All of that is true. Still, they’re among the best safety trios in the NFL.
Now it’s a quartet. The 49ers spent their second-round pick on former Samford safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Tartt played free safety in college, so he can fill in for Reid if he suffers another concussion. And Tartt has the size and speed (6’1”, 221 lbs, 4.53-second 40-yard dash) to cover tight ends. He can replace Bethea at strong safety in a few years.
WEAKNESS: Cornerback
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The 49ers have one of the NFL's worst group of cornerbacks.
The Niners' No. 1 corner is Tramaine Brock, who missed 13 games last season due to various injuries and never has started more than seven games in a season. He turns 27 in August.
The No. 2 corner is Shareece Wright, who earned a minus-16.8 grade from Pro Football Focus last season.
The slot corner is Jimmie Ward, who still is rehabbing a broken foot. And he’s not really a cornerback. He’s a safety who’s learning how to play corner, learning the techniques of man-to-man coverage. He allowed a passer rating of 134.3 last season, per Pro Football Focus.
The backups are Dontae Johnson and Chris Cook. Cook missed 10 games due to injury last season and Johnson gave up a passer rating of 106.3, per Pro Football Focus.
Cornerback arguably was the 49ers’ biggest need heading into the draft. And they ended up drafting zero corners, as in nada.
In Round 1, they could have drafted cornerback Kevin Johnson with the 15th pick, but they traded back to No. 17. So the Houston Texans grabbed Johnson with pick the 16th pick.
With pick No. 17, the Niners could have taken cornerback Marcus Peters, but they drafted Arik Armstead. The Kansas City Chiefs took Peters with pick No. 18.
In Round 2, the Niners could have drafted corner Ronald Darby, but they drafted Tartt. The Buffalo Bills picked Darby four picks later.
And in Round 3, the Niners could have drafted cornerback Alex Carter, but they took outside linebacker Eli Harold. The Detriot Lions took Carter with the very next pick.
The Niners had opportunities to improve their cornerback depth. They simply chose not to.
STRENGTH: Outside Linebacker
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The 49ers had two of the best outside linebackers in the NFL the past few seasons. Aldon Smith was a first-team All-Pro player in 2012, and Ahmad Brooks was a Pro Bowler in 2013.
In the fifth round of the 2014 draft, the 49ers found a third quality outside linebacker—Aaron Lynch. He played so well his rookie season, midway through it he took Brooks’ place in the 49ers’ nickel and dime defenses.
In the third round of the 2015 draft, the Niners drafted a fourth quality outside linebacker—Eli Harold. NFL.com gave him a “Round 1 or 2” draft projection. He recorded 15 ½ sacks the past two seasons, and he’s a good edge-setter against the run.
The Niners have depth for now and flexibility for later. Next year, Aldon Smith will be a free agent, and Ahmad Brooks will be 32. If the 49ers do not retain them for 2016, Harold and Lynch can take their places in the starting lineup.
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WEAKNESS: Inside Linebacker
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Inside linebacker was the 49ers’ biggest strength just a couple of seasons ago.
From 2011 to 2013, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman were the best inside linebacker tandem in the NFL, maybe ever. Both played at a Hall of Fame level. The 49ers defense revolved around them.
But Bowman tore his ACL and MCL and didn’t play last season. Patrick Willis retired. His heir apparent, Chris Borland, also retired. And the strength of the 49ers defense became a weakness just like that.
The Niners signed 30-year-old linebacker Philip Wheeler to a one-year deal a few hours before the draft started. During the draft, the Niners didn’t take a single inside linebacker. They stood pat. That means Bowman and Michael Wilhoite probably will be the starters.
Wilhoite became a starter last season when Bowman was hurt, and Wilhoite earned an overall grade of minus-5.1 from Pro Football Focus. He is not an instinctual linebacker—he’s a special teams player who played safety in college.
Bowman was great before he injured his knee. What is he now? Is he even a full-time player anymore?
In 2013, he played 1,234 snaps, according to PFF. Can he play that many snaps next season? How many snaps can he play before his knee starts feeling sore?
STRENGTH: Running Back
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A team can’t have a run-first offense without good running backs.
Before the draft, the Niners had just one good running back—Carlos Hyde. His backups (Reggie Bush and Kendall Hunter) are injury-prone scatbacks who missed a combined 21 games last season. Without Hyde, the 49ers offense would become a finesse pass-first offense.
The 49ers offense is no longer so dependent on Hyde. In Round 4, they drafted running back Mike Davis from South Carolina. Davis is 5’9” and 217 pounds—the same exact size as Frank Gore.
Davis is a tough runner who can block and catch passes, like Gore. Davis is a terrific replacement for Gore, and an excellent backup for Hyde. The 49ers are set at running back for the next few years.
WEAKNESS: Guard
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The 49ers lost left guard Mike Iupati during free agency, and right guard Alex Boone will be a free agent next year. He didn’t attend the 49ers' recent voluntary minicamp and wouldn't mind if the 49ers traded him, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
Considering Boone’s status and Iupati’s absence, you’d think the 49ers would draft a guard before the sixth round. They didn’t.
They drafted former Boston College right tackle Ian Silberman in Round 6, and they drafted former Florida guard Trenton Brown in Round 7. Both started fewer than 20 games in college. They’re developmental prospects who might not make the final roster.
To replace Iupati, the Niners must rely on 2014 third-round pick Brandon Thomas. He tore his ACL before the draft last year and didn’t play his rookie season.
And the Niners must wait until next year to replace Boone.
STRENGTH: Punter
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Usually, you don’t think of “punter” as a position group. Teams typically have just one punter.
And the Niners have one of the best—Andy Lee. He’s 32 and has been a first-team All-Pro selection three times. Last season, he averaged 46.8 yards per punt—fourth-best in the NFL among punters who punted more than 20 times, per PFF. He is signed through 2018.
Most teams would be thrilled to have just Andy Lee. Not the Niners. One good punter isn’t enough for them, apparently. They drafted another punter—Bradley Pinion from Clemson—in Round 5. Pinion was the only punter drafted this year.
What will the Niners do with two punters? Will the Niners play them at the same time? A two-punter attack? It could be interesting.
WEAKNESS: Quarterback
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The Niners have the same number of quarterbacks as they have punters—two. And the punters are better than the quarterbacks.
Colin Kaepernick is no Andy Lee. Lee is one of the best at his position, and Kaepernick isn’t. Kaepernick ranks somewhere toward the bottom of the top 20 NFL quarterbacks. He never has been a Pro Bowler, and his passer rating has gotten worse every season he has been a starter.
His backup, Blaine Gabbert, might be the worst backup quarterback in the NFL.
If the Niners had drafted a quarterback, they could have replaced Gabbert at the very least. And if Kaepernick continues to regress, the 49ers would be prepared to replace him in 2016.
But the Niners didn’t draft a quarterback. They signed an undrafted free-agent quarterback—Dylan Thompson—who started only 16 games in college. He will probably be a practice-squad player.
When it came to addressing their need for a quarterback, the 49ers punted.
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