Predicting the Last 5 In, Last 5 out for 49ers' Final 53-Man Roster

Grant CohnJun 28, 2015

The San Francisco 49ers’ training camp starts in late July and continues through August.

That’s the time when players on the bubble can earn or lose a spot on the 53-man roster. That’s the time when many compete for few jobs.

Every year it seems someone unexpected makes the 49ers’ final roster—someone you never would have guessed before training camp began. Last season, it was undrafted rookie free-agent safety L.J. McCray. He made the final roster following training camp.

Did you see that one coming? I sure didn’t.

It’s tough to predict which bubble players will step up during late July and August. Who knows whether McCray could have predicted at this time last year that he would make the Niners’ final roster?

And who knows who will be this year’s version of McCray? We’ll have to wait and see who steps up. Until then, here are five bubble players who probably will make the final roster, and five bubble players who probably won’t.

IN: DeAndrew White, Wide Receiver, Undrafted Rookie

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If only one undrafted rookie makes the 49ers’ final roster, that rookie probably will be former Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White.

During minicamps and OTAs this offseason, White was the 49ers’ best young receiver, perhaps their best receiver period. He was the only receiver who didn’t drop a single pass in front of the media during team drills.

White was a 4-star recruit on Rivals.com coming out of high school. He was a big-time prospect. But he couldn’t stay healthy in college, which probably is the main reason he didn’t get drafted.

When healthy, White has blazing speed (4.34-second 40-yard dash), adequate size (5’11”, 193 lbs.) and big hands (9 ¹/₈inches). And he plays special teams. The Niners probably will make room for him on the 53-man roster if he makes it through preseason in one piece.

IN: Craig Dahl, Safety, Eighth Season

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Somehow, veteran safety Craig Dahl always makes some team’s final roster.

He has been in the NFL seven seasons and started 43 games at safety. As a starting safety, he’s not so good. He takes bad angles against the run and has bad instincts and ball skills against the pass.

But he’s a veteran, he’s smart, he’s more reliable than a rookie or a second-year player who has started zero games at safety and he knows the Niners' defense, in general, and his assignments, in particular.

And he’s a good special teams player. That’s the most important thing about Dahl. Last season, Pro Football Focus gave him a plus-1.5 special-teams grade. As long as he plays well on special teams, he probably will have a spot on the 49ers’ roster.

IN: Derek Carrier, Tight End, Fourth Season

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At training camp this year, the 49ers will have eight tight ends. At most, four will make the 53-man roster.

The top three tight ends probably will be former first-round pick Vernon Davis, former second-round pick Vance McDonald and former fourth-round pick Blake Bell. If the 49ers carry a fourth tight end, he probably will be fourth-year vet Derek Carrier.

Carrier is a weapon on offense because he’s fast for his size (4.50-second 40-yard dash, 6’4”, 241 lbs.) A tight end with wide-receiver speed—not surprising, considering Carrier played wide receiver in college.

As a receiving tight end, Carrier is a matchup problem for defenses, perhaps the Niners’ biggest matchup problem at tight end other than Vernon Davis. The 49ers gave Carrier a two-year contract extension this offseason. He probably isn’t going anywhere.

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IN: Nick Moody, Linebacker, Third Season

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Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Nick Moody used to be a special-teams specialist. That’s what he was his first-two seasons in the NFL, and that’s what he was at Florida State University.

Now that inside linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland have retired, Moody has a chance to become the 49ers’ primary backup inside linebacker for 2015 behind NaVorro Bowman and Michael Wilhoite.

Moody seems to be making the most of his opportunity.

“A guy that’s really moving around and feeling the defense the right way is Nick Moody,” head coach Jim Tomsula said in May according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. “I’m pulling for Nick. He’s working really hard. He’s one of those guys you notice. I’m walking out of here and he’s got all his books…you know, you can just tell.”

Moody struggled at linebacker the first two years of his career because he was learning the position and had to develop the proper instincts. But he’s one of the fastest linebackers on the Niners (4.68-second 40-yard dash). Maybe he just needed some experience.

IN: Keith Reaser, Cornerback, Second Season

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Former 2014 fifth-round pick Keith Reaser missed his rookie season due to a torn ACL he suffered his senior season at Florida Atlantic University.

Before the 2015 offseason began, Reaser seemed likely to end up on the practice squad. After all, he’s a late-round draft pick who missed his first season in the NFL. Expectations were understandably low.

But Reaser didn’t look like someone who had missed a year of football during OTAs. He broke up a couple of passes as a member of the first-team defense, and on the first day of minicamp, he intercepted a Colin-Kaepernick pass intended for three-time Pro-Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin.

Expectations for Reaser are through the roof now. Not only should he make the team, but he might start at cornerback, too. He’s that good.

OUT: Kenneth Acker, Cornerback, Second Season

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Reaser wasn’t the only rookie cornerback on the 49ers who missed his rookie season in 2014.

Kenneth Acker also missed 2014 due to an injury. He broke his foot during preseason and spent the regular season on the Injured Reserve List.

Acker was the Niners’ sixth-round pick in 2014, so they probably don't want to give up on him. If he plays well during preseason, the 49ers would probably have to give him a roster spot. They probably wouldn't be able to cut him and sneak him onto the practice squad.

But Acker didn’t stand out during OTAs or minicamp. In fact, he struggled—especially against the first-team offense. If he continues to struggle during training camp and the preseason, the 49ers can cut him, stash him on the practice squad and not worry about another team claiming him off of waivers.

OUT: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Defensive Lineman, Fourth Season

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Fourth-year defensive lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie started four games the past two seasons. He seemed on the cusp of earning a starting job.

But he never broke through. In fact, he got worse the more he played, earning a minus-11.5 grade from Pro Football Focus the final 11 games of 2014.

This offseason, the Niners’ spent their first-round draft pick on a defensive lineman—Arik Armstead, from the University of Oregon. The Niners would not have needed to draft Armstead in Round 1 if they believed in Jerod-Eddie.

With Armstead on the team, Jerod-Eddie probably becomes the seventh defensive lineman on the depth chart. Which means he's probably the odd man out.

OUT: Joe Looney, Offensive Lineman, Fourth Season

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Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

During minicamp, starting center Daniel Kilgore was rehabbing a broken leg he suffered last season, and backup center Marcus Martin was the starting right guard. So Joe Looney was the starting center for the first-team offense.

That doesn’t mean Looney will start at center during the regular or even make the team. He has been a complete disappointment since the Niners spent a fourth-round pick on him in 2012.

He started four games last season, and earned a minus-10.0 grade from Pro Football Focus just in those four starts alone. It’s not easy to accumulate such a bad grade in so few games.

As long as Kilgore returns for the beginning of the regular season, the Niners won’t need Looney. When Kilgore is healthy, Looney is the Niners' third-string center. And the Niners don't need a third-string center.

OUT: Philip Wheeler, Inside Linebacker, Eighth Season

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Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Call Philip Wheeler Nick-Moody insurance.

In case 25-year-old Moody bombs during training camp and preseason, the 49ers can cut him and keep 30-year-old Wheeler instead. Those two seem to be competing for one spot.

But it doesn’t seem like Moody will bomb. He played well during OTAs and minicamp, even intercepted a pass during team drills. The coaching staff seems excited about his potential at linebacker.

So the Niners have no use for Wheeler. If he made the 53-man roster, he would be the fifth inside linebacker behind Nick Bellore, who probably will make the team as a special-teams specialist.

The Niners probably don’t need five inside linebackers.

OUT: Jarryd Hayne, Returner/Running Back, Rookie

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Last season, the Niners’ had just one return specialist—Bruce Ellington. He returned punts and kicks.

So this offseason the Niners signed another return specialist—former Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne. Hayne has never played football, but he was the best Rugby League player in 2014. He’s a fantastic athlete.

Still, the Niners don’t really need him if he’s just a return specialist. Ellington is no longer the only one on the team. The Niners also have Reggie Bush, who returned punts and kicks during OTAs and minicamp, and Keith Reaser, who returned kicks in college.

To make the team, Hayne has to show he’s more than a return-specialist, has to show he also can contribute to the offense as a running back. That’s a long shot. He seems like a prime candidate for the practice squad.