San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players Poised to Make the Pro Bowl

Only three players on the San Francisco 49ers made the Pro Bowl last season—left tackle Joe Staley, left guard Mike Iupati and strong safety Antoine Bethea.

Iupati signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason for five years and $40 million, according to Spotrac. Instead of signing Iupati, the Niners chose to give a five-year, $40-million deal to wide receiver Torrey Smith, who has never made a Pro Bowl.

On the current roster, the Niners have only two Pro Bowlers from 2014.

But that doesn’t mean San Francisco will have only two in 2015. Here are five players who have a good chance to make the Pro Bowl next season.

FB Bruce Miller, 5th Season

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Veteran fullback Bruce Miller never has been elected to a Pro Bowl, even though he may be the best fullback in the NFL.

He certainly is an integral part of his team’s offense. The Niners use him more than most NFL franchises use fullbacks these days. According to Pro Football Focus, Miller played 473 snaps in 2014—tops among fullbacks.

Miller is a fabulous run-blocker and a big reason why the Niners have had one of the best rushing attacks in the league the past few seasons.

He’s a good receiver too. He caught 25 passes in 2013—third most on the 49ers. Last season, he made 18 catches. The Niners underutilized him.

Miller deserves recognition, and he may get it next season.

LT Joe Staley, 9th Season

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Joe Staley gets more than enough recognition.

He has made four straight Pro Bowls and generally is considered one of the top five offensive tackles in the NFL. Last season, Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of plus-22.2—fourth best among tackles.

Still, the Associated Press has never elected him first-team All-Pro. It named him second-team All-Pro in 2011, 2012 and 2013 but not in 2014. The Associated Press seems to believe Staley took a slight step back last season.

He may have. Last season he committed 11 penalties and, according to Pro Football Focus, allowed 29 pressures, including four sacks.

But Staley still is a fantastic run-blocker, maybe the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL. He’s strong enough (6'5", 315 lbs) to move defenders on the line of scrimmage and agile enough to run and block defenders in space.

Staley turns 31 on Aug. 30. He should have at least one more Pro Bowl season left in him.

SS Antoine Bethea, 10th Season

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The 49ers signed Antoine Bethea last offseason to replace Pro Bowl strong safety Donte Whitner, who signed with the Cleveland Browns for four years and $28 million during free agency, according to Spotrac.

Whitner was too expensive for the Niners, having made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2012 and 2013. Bethea hadn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2009, so he was cheaper than Whitner. Bethea signed with the Niners for four years, $21 million, per Spotrac.

Bethea turned out to be an upgrade over Whitner. In 2014 Bethea intercepted four passes and broke up three, according to Pro Football Focus. Whitner intercepted one and broke up two.

Bethea is one of the best safeties in pass coverage in the NFL. He’s a playmaker in deep zone coverage, and he makes players around him better. He’s a big reason cornerback Perrish Cox had the best season of his career in 2014.

Bethea is 31, in his prime and poised to have another Pro Bowl season in 2015.

FS Eric Reid, 3rd Season

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The 49ers drafted Eric Reid in 2013 to replace All-Pro free safety Dashon Goldson, who, like Donte Whitner in 2014, was too expensive for San Francisco to re-sign.

Reid was only 21 when the Niners drafted him. It seemed he would need at least a few years before he’d be in Goldson’s class.

But Reid made the Pro Bowl in 2013, and Goldson didn’t. Reid was outstanding that season, intercepting four passes, breaking up 12 and making 73 solo tackles. In 2014 he regressed a bit, intercepting three passes, breaking up seven and making only 35 solo tackles.

But sophomore slumps happen, and Reid was only 22 last season. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to establish himself next season as an elite safety in the NFL.

OLB Aaron Lynch, 2nd Season

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Based on Aldon Smith’s performance last season—seemingly loafing through the seven games he played—I don’t feel confident picking him to make the Pro Bowl next season.

But I feel confident picking Aaron Lynch. He was no coaster in 2014—he was a monster. As a 21-year-old rookie, he racked up 41 pressures, including six sacks, in just 521 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Lynch overwhelmed offensive linemen with his strength (270 lbs), long arms (34") and violent hands just like Aldon Smith used to.

It's doubtful Lynch will start in the base defense next season, but I expect he’ll play in the sub-packages as a defensive end like Aldon Smith did his rookie year. And I expect Lynch, not Smith, will be the Niners’ best edge-rusher.

All quotations and practice observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow @grantcohn.