Why 2015 Season Is Make-or-Break Opportunity for 49ers' 2013 Draft Class

The San Francisco 49ers have had some pretty good drafts under general manager Trent Baalke. Since he took over as general manager, the Niners have acquired the likes of NaVorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick through the draft, while their 2014 class was widely praised as one of the best in the league. However, the jury is still out on the 2013 crop.

Baalke has one bad draft to his name, which came in 2012 and at this point has to be considered a write-off with just one player, Joe Looney, remaining on the roster. The 2013 group is well ahead of that class in terms of talent but goes into the 2015 season with plenty to prove.

Of the 11 players added in 2013, seven are still with the team, yet only first-round pick Eric Reid has been a starter so far in his career. With San Francisco losing a number of key players in the offseason, that could well be about to change.

Round	Player	Position	Still with team?
1	Eric Reid	S	Yes
2	Tank Carradine	DE	Yes
2	Vance McDonald	TE	Yes
3	Corey Lemonier	OLB	Yes
4	Quinton Patton	WR	Yes
4	Marcus Lattimore	RB	No
5	Quinton Dial	DT	Yes
6	Nick Moody	ILB	Yes
7	B.J. Daniels	QB	No
7	Carter Bykowski	T	No
7	Marcus Cooper	CB	No

Let's start, though, by looking at Reid, who the 49ers moved up to No. 18 in the first round to get after losing Dashon Goldson in free agency that year. Reid instantly proved a hit as a playmaking free safety, putting up four interceptions and 77 total tackles and ending the year as the No. 17 safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Reid recorded another three interceptions in 2014 but did suffer a drop-off in play, which went largely unnoticed partly because of how well strong safety Antoine Bethea performed in his first year with San Francisco. The former LSU safety was only good enough to be ranked at No. 52 among safeites in the NFL in 2014 by PFF but will in all likelihood still be the starter come Week 1.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Yet it is a make-or-break season for Reid for two reasons. The first concerns his identity within the 49er organization. Reid emerged as a leader on the defense in the absence of Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman and, despite the latter's upcoming return, he will likely be tasked with taking over some leadership responsibilities on the back of Willis and Justin Smith's retirements.

If he can become an emotional leader and back his words up with a bounce-back year on the field, Reid's reputation will only increase. However, it is also a pivotal year for Reid in terms of him staying healthy.

Head injuries have marred Reid's career in the pros so far. He has picked up three concussions in two seasons and, while it is unfair to speculate, should he suffer another, then the 49ers surely will start re-evaluating Reid's position with the team with rookie Jaquiski Tartt and the versatile Jimmie Ward able to take over.

Further forward on the defensive line, Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial both have the opportunity to stake a claim for a starting place in the trenches.

With Justin Smith calling it a career, there is an opening on the D-line in 2015. Dial has something of an advantage over Carradine having received significant playing time both at defensive end and nose tackle. Carradine, by contrast, did not make his debut for the Niners until Week 10 partly due to issues grasping the playbook, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, following an ACL injury that saw him miss all of his rookie year.

Three sacks in his final three games served as a reminder of the talent that led the 49ers to take Carradine in the second round. However, the presence of first-round draft pick Arik Armstead, free-agent acquisition Darnell Dockett and the return of Glenn Dorsey from injury, mean it figures to be a fierce competition for snaps on the D-line.

San Francisco should employ a rotational policy up front that will allow both Dial and Carradine to get playing time. Dial will need to show he can build on the promise he displayed last year but, for a high-round draft-pick like Carradine, it is imperative he starts proving he was the worth the outlay.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

There is a similar pressure on 2013 third-round selection Corey Lemonier. The former Auburn outside linebacker had a decent rookie year, racking up 20 quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus.

Lemonier's opportunities diminished significantly last term, though, and—after Aaron Lynch's strong rookie season and the Niners' decision to take pass-rusher Eli Harold in the third round—it would not be too much of a stretch to suggest that his roster spot could be under threat.

What may save Lemonier for now is that Ahmad Brooks could be a candidate to help out at inside linebacker, yet with the depth San Francisco has on the outside, few players go into the preseason with more to prove than the former War Eagle.

Hoping to make Lemonier's job even more difficult by ensuring Brooks is not needed on the inside will be Nick Moody.

Moody has largely served as a special teamer during his short NFL career but was pressed into service late last season because of an injury to Borland. With NaVorro Bowman returning to likely start alongside Michael Wilhoite in 2015, Moody may seem destined to return to a third-string role. Jim Tomsula, though, may have other ideas after heaping praise on Moody following rookie minicamp, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

Despite the additions of Philip Wheeler and Nick Bellore in free agency, a strong preseason from Moody would arguably make him the favorite to at least be the primary backup to Bowman and Wilhoite and ensure Brooks is able to stay on the outside.

While the likes of Carradine, Dial and Moody should be afforded plenty of chances to prove their value, time is perhaps running out on the careers of offensive players Vance McDonald and Quinton Patton.

After being taken in the second round, tight end McDonald has failed to do anything other than perform well in run blocking—for which he received a grade of 8.2 from PFF in 2014—and will need to show that he can do more pretty quickly with the 49ers having added two more players at the position, Blake Bell and Rory Anderson, if he is to even stay on the roster.

McDonald has shown himself to be capable of excelling in the passing game, putting up over 1500 receiving yards and scoring 15 touchdowns during his collegiate career at Rice. He will need to showcase that ability again in order to keep his place as the second tight end behind Vernon Davis, however, Patton is already making the case for extra playing time in the coming season.

The former Louisiana Tech wide receiver snagged a 50-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick in OTAs earlier in the week, demonstrating the deep-ball threat that has been evident at previous junctures in his 49ers career.

Patton was inactive for most of last season after being pushed down the depth chart by the likes of Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd. The receiving core is not as deep this season and, although he does not possess blazing acceleration, Patton has the speed, the all-around ability and toughness to make a case for him becoming a long-term replacement for the ageing Anquan Boldin.

If Patton does not take a step forward now, though, it is tough to see him developing into a top receiver on a 49er team that added another potential successor to Boldin in DeAndre Smelter in this year's draft.

Anticipating every member of the Niners' 2013 class to fulfil their potential and be a success is unrealistic. Yet the roster turnover San Francisco has experienced this offseason should give Reid the chance to establish himself as a focal point of the defense and afford emerging players such as Carradine and Dial the opportunity to take on the mantle from experienced veterans like Smith. Their ability to achieve those goals in a pivotal season for the 49ers will likely have a huge impact on how this group is perceived going forward.

Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.