The NFL draft is over and the major free agency waves have subsided, which means it’s time to start ironing out what the San Francisco 49ers‘ roster might look like after training camp.
Now, the team only just began Phase One of the offseason program. No draft picks have signed and we’ve yet to see any of the first-year players play a snap of NFL football. Nevertheless, we persist.
Here is our first shot at predicting the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster:
Quarterback (2)
- Brock Purdy
- Mac Jones
Perhaps Kurtis Rourke sneaks in as a third QB on the 53-man roster. For now it’ll just be two with Rourke on the practice squad as the emergency signal caller.
Running back (3)
- Christian McCaffrey
- Jordan James
- Kaelon Black
If one of James or Black can’t play special teams it could open the door for Patrick Taylor to earn a roster spot with James and Black battling it out for RB2 duties with the loser landing as a healthy scratch on game days. Isaac Guerendo looks to be the odd man out.
Fullback (1)
- Kyle Juszczyk
Duh.
Wide receiver (6)
- Mike Evans
- Ricky Pearsall
- De’Zhaun Stribling
- Christian Kirk
- Demarcus Robinson
- Jordan Watkins
This is a crowded room where back end of the roster spots will be at a premium. Jacob Cowing is the odd man out for now. He’ll need to stay healthy in training camp to have a chance.
Tight end (4)
- George Kittle
- Jake Tonges
- Luke Farrell
- Khalil Dinkins
We’re assuming for now that Kittle will be healthy enough to avoid starting the season on an injured list since it sounds like there’s hope he’ll be ready for the season opener. Dinkins is the first undrafted rookie to make it. He has an intriguing blend of size and athleticism, and we want to keep him around until it’s clear he’s not good enough.
Offensive line (10)
- Trent Williams
- Colton McKivitz
- Jake Brendel
- Dominick Puni
- Robert Jones
- Brett Toth
- Vederian Lowe
- Carver Willis
- Enrique Cruz Jr.
- Connor Colby
10 offensive linemen because who knows! Jones, Toth and Colby may all be battling for two roster spots. It’s also not a slam dunk that both draft picks make the 53-man roster. For now they’re both in.
Defensive line (9)
- Nick Bosa
- Mykel Williams
- Osa Odighizuwa
- Alfred Collins
- CJ West
- Gracen Halton
- Keion White
- Cam Sample
- Mikail Kamara
A semi-notable absence here is Sam Okuayinonu who’s been a nice project for the 49ers the last couple of seasons. He and Sample are likely battling for a roster spot since they fill similar roles. Kamara is our second UDFA to land a roster spot. He could be a fun player. Keep a close eye on him in camp.
Linebacker (6)
- Fred Warner
- Dre Greenlaw
- Nick Martin
- Luke Gifford
- Tatum Bethune
- Jaden Dugger
This group feels correct. Gifford’s spot may be up in the air if Dugger looks like he can play the Sam LB spot as a rookie.
Cornerback (5)
- Deommodore Lenoir
- Renardo Green
- Upton Stout
- Nate Hobbs
- Ephesians Prysock
There are a handful of cornerbacks who could slide onto the back end of the roster. Veteran Jack Jones could certainly be there. So could second-year UDFA Jakob Robinson who had a nice rookie camp before suffering a season-ending broken forearm.
Safety (4)
- Ji’Ayir Brown
- Malik Mustapha
- Marques Sigle
- Siran Neal
The 49ers didn’t make any major investments at the position, so we won’t make any changes. Running it back with a group that wasn’t particularly effective a year ago is an interesting choice.
Specialists (3)
- LS Jon Weeks
- K Eddy Pineiro
- P Corliss Waitman
Waitman gets the nod for now, but he’ll be in a battle with undrafted punter Jack Bouwmeester come training camp.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers roster: Predicting 53-man roster after NFL draft, free agency