NFL Team Previews: San Francisco 49ers
Starting off my third division, the NFC West, I will be starting with general manager Trent Baalke's San Francisco 49ers. Just a few years ago, Jim Harbaugh led the 49ers to a Super Bowl loss to his brother, and now, he is in Michigan, and the 49ers look like a very different team. The biggest news from the offseason for the 49ers is by far signing Chip Kelly on as head coach, and after his failure with the Eagles, some think it is a strange move. Other than that, the 49ers have had a relatively quiet offseason, and hope that coach Kelly can lead them to a bounce back season.
DRAFT RECAP: I like the pick of DeForest Buckner, the DE from the (formerly Chip Kelly's) Oregon Ducks. He should be able to provide a pass rush threat immediately, and, with an expected leap in success for Eli Harold, could provide some force from the outside. The Niners also took 2 cornerbacks in rounds 3 and 4, and they should help provide some depth for Trumaine Brock and Kenneth Acker. The pick that I question the most though, is drafting G Joshua Garnett, who is slotted to start at left guard next season. But, the issue is, why trade up to get a guard, in the first round? They gave up more than their second rounder for him, and their biggest offseason acquisition was a guard. Plus, they have a bigger need at right tackle. Maybe Chip Kelly is onto something, like he was in Philadelphia, right?
FREE AGENCY: The 49ers were another team that was not very active in free agency. Outside of signing guard Zane Beadles from Jacksonville for almost $10 million over three seasons, the 49ers pretty much chose to stick with the draft and to stick with low level free agents.
PLAYERS LOST: Over the last few years, the 49ers have lost a lot of talent, all over the field. RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree, ILB Patrick Willis, OLB Aldon Smith, CB Carlos Rogers, and on and on...This offseason, the subtractions outweighed the additions in free agency yet again, as WR Anquan Boldin (who is still a free agent), is not back with the 49ers as of yet. Wide receiver is one of their many needs, so they may come calling at some point in the near future. The other big loss was losing Pro Bowl guard Alex Boone to the Minnesota Vikings. Garnett and Beadles should be able to fill some of the void, but any time you lose a Pro Bowler without getting one in return is a downgrade.
STRONGEST POSITION: The secondary. The 49ers don't have a lot of strengths due to the fact that they are right in the middle of rebuilding mode, but the secondary is one of the areas that fans should be less concerned with. They have 3 starting caliber safeties in Eric Reid, Antoine Bethea and Jimmie Ward, and the combination of Brock and Acker is decent, plus they drafted a few defensive backs. Like I said, this secondary isn't overwhelming, but with so many underwhelming positions on this team, especially offensively, I have to go with the secondary.
WEAKEST POSITION: I could go with quarterback, maybe the offensive line, but it's most likely going to be the pass catchers. Yes, tight ends AND wide receivers. All of their tight ends are solid blockers, but they aren't starting caliber players. And at wide receiver, this team has no real targets outside of Torrey Smith, who has shown some flashes over the last few years but is not a special player. The biggest battle is probably for the #2 receiver, and that goes down to Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington and outliers Jerome Simpson and rookie Aaron Burbridge. This group won't be very good even with Anquan Boldin, but at least he has the skill level to be able to teach some of the younger players how to play receiver.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE 49ERS SUCCESS: QB Colin Kaepernick, RB Carlos Hyde, ILB NaVorro Bowman, DE DeForest Buckner, LT Joe Staley. Obviously, it would be a huge help in general if Colin Kaepernick could play like he did a few years ago, but at this point, he's a shell of himself and might somehow lose his job to Blaine Gabbert. In a way, he represents this team that appears to be a shell of itself as well. Chip Kelly does like to run, so maybe he'll be able to help in that aspect, but ultimately he's on his way out. RB Carlos Hyde needs to stay healthy since he is their only real weapon on offense at this point (sorry, Torrey Smith). LT Joe Staley is the best offensive lineman on the team, and he's the guy who needs to keep them together. Rookie DE DeForest Buckner's athleticism and skillset is needed to jump start this transforming defense, and NaVorro Bowman led the NFL in tackles last season and is the leader of this team.
PREDICTION: I know some wishful thinkers would disagree with me here, but I don't see this team winning more than 6 games, and possibly being in line for the number one draft pick. There's enough guys in certain places throughout the roster to keep this team somewhat competitive, but 3-13 looks likely, maybe even last place in the NFC.
