San Francisco 49ers: 5 Free Agents They Should Be Targeting

Normally at this point, free agency would be winding down. Normally, teams would have used the draft to fill what they couldn't deal with free agency.

Nothing is really normal about this offseason, though, huh?

Instead teams are scrambling to plan for a free-agency period after the draft, starting...well, at some point. Maybe.

We know the 49ers are planning. We know they are spending their time making contingency plans for the initial plans.

While this isn't a tremendous free-agency class, there are certainly players who are worth looking at. Some are probably pipe dreams. Some are people who last season wore a San Francisco uniform.

All fill a need the 49ers need to address.

Here are my top-five free agents who should be on the team's radar.

1. Nnamdi Asomugha, CB

Yes, unlikely given that every team will be looking at him and the 49ers won't be able to make him the richest cornerback on the planet. However, the 49ers should make a run at him regardless. The secondary has been far less than stellar and is beaten way too often. While Asomugha is getting a little old, he remains a tremendous shutdown corner with great ball skills who would lock down half the field. While it's a long shot, he may consider staying in the Bay Area, with a team that (given the division) has a shot at the playoffs.

Again, a long shot—a Hail Mary, as it were. They'd be foolish not to try, though. The need is too great not to.

2. Lyle Sendlein, C

Sendlein may not be a household name, but he's a solid center who never misses a game.The Niners could lose two centers to free agency (David Baas and backup Tony Wragge are unrestricted free agents), and the only vet is Eric Heitmann, who spent most of the season on IR with a serious neck injury. They could roll with the two rookies they grabbed (Daniel Kilgore and Mike Person can play center or guard), but that's not optimal. Assuming they don't want to pay Baas the money he wants or don't believe he can be the guy, a solid (though admittedly not spectacular) center like Sendlein would give them stability in the middle.

3. Stephen Nicholas, OLB

The 49ers need linebacker help. Their rotation of OLBs were Ahmad Brooks, Parys Haralson, Travis LaBoy and Manny Lawson. None of them are that great, and Lawson and LaBoy are free agents I can't see the team retaining. Nicholas didn't record a sack last year, but he took over Atlanta's starting strong-side linebacker spot in Week 4 and played very well. The Niners cannot keep plugging players into the linebacker position and hoping for the best. If they want to continue to improve the defense, they need some good linebackers, not OK linebackers.

4. Matt Hasselbeck, QB

Hasselbeck had a rough 2010, a season where he looked his age. Yet, he still has a little left in the tank, even if Seattle decides to go another way. Coach Harbaugh isn't looking for a long-term answer in his veteran. Either rookie Colin Kaepernick is the guy, or one of several quarterback prospects in 2012 will be the guy. Hasselbeck is a perfect choice to hold the fort for a year or so without giving up by trying to put in a journeyman backup like David Carr or Troy Smith. He'll also come at a good price, meaning the team can sink money into a different free agent.

5. Alex Smith, QB 

If the 49ers don't land a solid vet in free agency and decide not to trade for someone like Kevin Kolb, they should go back to the devil they know. Harbaugh gave Smith a playbook, a strong indication that the team will keep him around for one more go-round. You can't just throw Kaepernick into the fire, and Alex Smith has dealt with adversity before. Heck, it's the earmark of his career. He can do just enough to keep the 49ers afloat while their current rookie matures, or until the staff goes another way. I have said before, and will again, that Smith needs a fresh start. However, he's a known quantity and while he is certainly flawed, we know what those flaws are and how to game plan around them.

Those are my five—as always, I'm interested to hear what you have to say. Is there a position more important than those here? A player out there you love who I didn't mention?

Let me know in the comments below.