There are obvious holes on the roster, and you can see where those are by looking at the 49ers depth chart.
The San Francisco 49ers mass exodus in free agency caught the national media by surprise. You’d think the Niners didn’t win one divisional game or finish the season 1-5 when they still had playoff hopes.
There will be plenty of new faces in 2025 and beyond. Still, most of the main characters remain from the 49ers Super Bowl run. Let’s look at the updated depth chart, as many of the top free agents have signed.
Quarterback – Brock Purdy, ???
There’s the starter and Tanner Mordecai. Purdy, fresh off a performance-pay bump, will be looking at a new backup quarterback.
The 49ers have been linked to Jameis Winston. If you think Kyle Shanahan has aged now, one training camp with Jameis would have Shanahan looking like Tim Allen in the movie Santa Claus.
For purely entertainment purposes, Winston would make for a great signing.
Running back – Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor
The 49ers tendered Mason and re-signed Patrick Taylor — presumably for special teams. I would not be surprised if another team offered a 4th rounder or some Day 3 pick for Mason. The Niners have enough draft capital to find a running back in the draft.
Each of the first three backs listed has injury concerns. So, the depth chart looks OK on paper, but history would suggest the 49ers can never have enough running backs under Shanahan.
Tight end – George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis, Mason Pline
SB Nation’s JP Acosta filled us in on what the 49ers are getting with Farrell. Pline is the group’s wild card. We know what Willis is, but if the Niners feel like Pline progressed enough as a rookie, that will prevent them from adding a tight end in the draft.
Then again, Kittle’s contract voids after the 2025 season. He has stated that he wants to be a Niner for life. There was nothing from Kittle’s 2024 season to suggest that he’s slowing down. At the same time, the best teams always draft a year ahead and don’t wait until that position is of need to address it.
Wide receiver – Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing
The 49ers have Trent Taylor and Isaiah Hodgins on the practice squad. We’ll see if Cowing ends up being anything more than a punt returner. Trading Deebo Samuel opens the door for Pearsall to take over his role.
Signing Robinson is a hedge against Aiyuk’s health. He was an outside receiver with the Rams and came through for Los Angeles when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nucua were injured. The 49ers are hoping to get similar production from Robinson until Aiyuk is fully healthy, whenever that may be.
At some point in the draft, the 49ers are coming away with a receiver. Pearsall can play inside and out. Jennings is better suited in the slot, so they don’t necessarily have to have a specific “type” to add, although someone comfortable winning outside of the numbers is always preferred.
Offensive line – Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford, Matt Hennessy, Nick Zakelj
Technically, the 49ers don’t have a backup offensive tackle in their two-deep depth chart — unless they plan on cross-training Burford at tackle. The interior seems shored up. This might be the biggest tell of all that the Niners are planning on using one of their premium picks on an offensive tackle. You are not going to go into an NFL season, especially with how it ended with Trent Williams, without a quality backup on the roster.
Whether it’s the first, second, or third round, expect the Niners to invest in an offensive tackle. Ideally, he plays to the level Puni did as a rookie. In a dream world, this player is given the opportunity to compete with McKivitz on the right side. But the 49ers seem to have an affinity for McKivitz, so I wouldn’t count on him being replaced if he hasn’t been already.
Bartch and Hennessy will compete for left guard while Brendel gets another year at center. The interior line has always been greater than the sum of its parts, so it’s no surprise that the 49ers did not spend big in free agency at either position.
Defense
Defensive line – Nick Bosa, Jordan Elliott, Evan Anderson, Yetur Gross-Matos, Drake Jackson, Kevin Givens, Kalia Davis, Sam Okuayinonu, Robert Beal Jr., Khalil Davis, Alex Barrett
I wonder which positions the 49ers are going to address in the NFL Draft.
There’s Bosa and a bunch of names who should be rotational players. When you look at where the 49ers are selecting in the draft, you’d assume 11, 43, 75, 100, 112, 138 — at least three of those will be defensive linemen.
What made the 49ers dangerous all of these years? Depth along the defensive line. And perhaps depth isn’t the correct term. The defense came at you in waves with quality players.
The 49ers need a player in the NFL Draft who is ready to play on Day 1. No projects. No “high upside” players with potential to be starters. Nope. They should replicate what they did in last year’s draft, getting experienced players who can contribute right away.
The 49ers likely need to add three contributors from this class. No pressure.
Linebacker – Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Jalen Graham, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune, Curtis Robinson
The 49ers have a gift when it comes to finding linebackers on Day 3 of the draft. As promising as Winters was last season, he was continuously on the injury report and would often fail to finish a game.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’d expect the 49ers to find a linebacker late in the draft and compete with Gifford, Winters, and Bethune.
Cornerback – Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Tre Brown, Darrell Luter Jr., Tre Avery, Tre Tomlinson
None of the free-agent additions should prevent the 49ers from using a top-100 pick on a cornerback. Brown was phased out of the starting lineup in Seattle. Sure, he could be better in Robert Saleh’s scheme, but assuming his contract is closer to the veteran’s minimum, a cornerback early in the draft is plausible, if not expected.
Safety – Malik Mustapha, Ji’Ayir Brown, Jason Pinnock, Richie Grant, George Odum
The 49ers are set at safety. Well, as set as you could be with how they view the position. Watching a little bit of Pinnock last night made me think Saleh will use him as a blitzer but would not want Pinnock in coverage.
Mustapha and Brown are your likely starters, with Pinnock coming in during sub-packages and Grant and Odum being special teamers.