49ers 53-man roster projection 2.0: Pre-preseason edition – Niners Wire

With the 49ers’ training camp in full swing, we’ve gotten a few roster moves and some nuggets from practice that caused some sizable changes to our post-draft 53-man roster projection.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff have their work cut out for them during the preseason as they try and sift through a bunch roster battles and players vying for spots on the back of the roster.

Here’s a look at our latest 53-man roster prediction prior to the 49ers’ preseason opener Saturday vs. the Chiefs. (Rookies in italics)

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Jimmy Garoppolo
Trey Lance
Nate Sudfeld

Our pre-camp projections had Josh Rosen as the third QB, but the 2018 first-round pick has struggled after a strong start to camp. Success in preseason games may ultimately determine who snags that final roster spot.

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Raheem Mostert
Trey Sermon
Wayne Gallman
Elijah Mitchell

Jeff Wilson Jr. got hurt in OTAs so he comes off the roster for now. Mitchell, a sixth-round pick this year, has caught the eye of some reporters in camp because of his speed. Second-year undrafted free agent JaMycal Hasty is also in the mix here going into the preseason.

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Kyle Juszczyk

Second-year UDFA Josh Hokit is the other fullback in camp. Shanahan said he needs to see Hokit in games before determining a role for him, although it’s hard to believe the 49ers keep two fullbacks. They may aim to get Hokit to the practice squad where he can work as insurance in case Juszczyk is unavailable.

(AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel
Trent Sherfield
Mohamed Sanu
Nsimba Webster
Richie James Jr.

Jalen Hurd’s name is the most notable absence here. He’s not gotten a ton of work in team drills, and given how little he’s played over his two years in the league, that’ll be key to him earning a roster spot. Outside of Aiyuk and Samuel the receiver depth chart is pretty malleable. Sherfield seems like a lock though given his special teams ability and some flashes at receiver in camp.

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George Kittle
Ross Dwelley
Charlie Woerner

The 49ers may opt for a fourth tight end, which is where receiver-turned-tight end Jordan Matthews and MyCole Pruitt both fit in. Pruitt is dealing with a calf injury though and hasn’t been on the field since the start of camp, and Matthews never played the position before this offseason. Joshua Perkins is also on the roster after joining the club early in camp following the release of UDFA Josh Pederson.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Trent Williams
Laken Tomlinson
Alex Mack
Aaron Banks
Mike McGlinchey
Daniel Brunskill
Jaylon Moore
Colton McKivitz
Shon Coleman

No changes here from our last projection. Tom Compton is in the mix at right guard and could land a roster spot ahead of Coleman, who hasn’t played since a season-ending injury in the preseason opener back in 2019. He also opted out of the 2020 campaign. One interesting note from reporters at camp is that Moore has been playing tackle, which he played in college. The expectation was he’d kick inside for the 49ers, but the Athletic’s Matt Barrows wrote that the fifth-round pick is acquitting himself well at his original position.

(AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Nick Bosa
Dee Ford
Samson Ebukam
Javon Kinlaw
Arik Armstead
DJ Jones
Maurice Hurst
Kevin Givens

Ford was left off our last projection because of injury concerns, but he’s in camp and working toward a full workload. Having him on the roster dramatically improves their defensive end depth. Arden Key is having a nice camp too and could sneak in as some additional help on the edge. Defensive tackle Zach Kerr is still very much in the mix to land a roster spot by the time the dust settles on roster battles.

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Fred Warner
Dre Greenlaw
Azeez Al-Shaair
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Marcell Harris

An injury to Al-Shaair briefly put his status for the start of the season in jeopardy, but he’s on track to be ready for the opener per Shanahan. Harris is the new name here. He’s played safety since the 49ers took him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, but he’s lining up exclusively at linebacker in camp. Positional versatility plus special teams ability is a good way to carve out a roster spot.

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Jason Verrett
Emmanuel Moseley
K’Waun Williams
Ambry Thomas
Deommodore Lenoir
Dontae Johnson

This is a tough group to figure out because nobody behind Verrett, Moseley and Williams have asserted themselves as must-haves on the roster. Johnson is one of their most experienced corners and he helps on special teams. The quality of the 49ers’ secondary depth will depend entirely on how the rookies develop.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Jimmie Ward
Jaquiski Tartt
Talanoa Hufanga
Tavon Wilson
Tony Jefferson

Tarvarius Moore’s Achilles injury put a dent in the 49ers’ safety depth, but Wilson has run with the starting unit for most of camp and Tartt re-signed on a one-year deal after holding down the starting strong safety job for the last four years. They may decide to only keep four, but five works for now. It’s easy to see a scenario where they go with four safeties and keep Kerr along the defensive line.