49ers depth chart: New-look defense dotted with top draft picks
SANTA CLARA The ers counted on the NFL Draft to deliver defensive reinforcements and they came day after day after day In a sentimental storyline for the ers Faithful the only other draft in which the ers used their top five picks on defensive players was in leading into their first Super Bowl-winning season Well the Arizona Cardinals did the same thing this past week so maybe it s not such an anomaly After March s mass exodus of over players the ers had to recalibrate with a handful of budget-friendly free agents and an -man draft class that is the largest in nine years of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era Those draft picks along with six undrafted free agents and other tryout guys will be in town next week for a rookie minicamp Meanwhile the voluntary offseason project wraps up Phase s strength and conditioning this week before coaches are allowed on the field next week Here is a look at how the first defensive depth chart looks after an earlier glimpse at the offense DEFENSIVE LINE DE Nick Bosa st round DE Mykel Williams st round DT Alfred Collins nd round DT Jordan Elliott free agent DE Yetur Gross-Matos free agent DT C J West th round DT Kevin Givens free agent DE Sam Okuayinonu free agent DE Robert Beal Jr th round DT Evan Anderson free agent DT Kalia Davis th round DE Drake Jackson nd round DE Tarron Jackson free agent DE Jonathan Garvin free agent DE Alex Barrett free agent DT Sebastian Valdez free agent Key departures Leonard Floyd Falcons Javon Hargrave Vikings Maliek Collins Browns Analysis The ers are banking on Williams Collins and West to make an immediate impact as rookies in place of opening-game starters Leonard Floyd Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins Gross-Matos is favorably viewed with versatility that Williams also boasts as their first-round pick Fortifying this front is imperative to fixing the run defense not to mention finding others beyond Bosa who are reliably capable of harassing quarterbacks Jackson has missed the past seasons so his comeback is a wild card LINEBACKER Fred Warner rd round Nick Martin rd round Dee Winters th round Luke Gifford free agent Curtis Robinson free agent Jalen Graham th round Tatum Bethune th round DaShaun White free agent Stone Blanton free agent Key departures Dre Greenlaw Broncos Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles Giants Analysis Warner isn t holding out for an extension but that issue won t magically vanish for the ers front office The hope is that Martin s run-and-hit style will mirror Dre Greenlaw s Winters isn t out of the mix if he can overcome his inconsistency Don t overlook Gifford s arrival even though he s mostly been a special-teams asset Robinson is coming off ACL reconstruction The undrafted Blanton could be up for the challenge after playing SEC football for South Carolina and then Mississippi State CORNERBACK Deommodore Lenoir th round Renardo Green nd round Upton Stout rd round Tre Brown free agent Siran Neal free agent Chase Lucas free agent Darrell Luter th round Tre Tomlinson waivers Tre Avery waivers Jakob Robinson free agent Key departures Charvarius Ward Colts Isaac Yiadom Saints Rock Ya-Sin Lions Analysis Stout enters the mix as a feisty nickel back comparable to former ers standout K Waun Williams Green has the inside track on replacing Charvarius Ward as the starter opposite Ward SAFETY Ji Ayir Brown rd round Jason Pinnock free agent Malik Mustapha th round George Odum free agent Richie Grant free agent Marques Sigle th round Jaylen Mahoney free agent Quindell Johnson free agent Key departures Talanoa Hufanga Broncos Analysis Mustapah learned days after last season that he tore the ACL in his right knee for the second time in three years so his sophomore season surely will be delayed With that news dropping after the draft it makes sense why the ers signed veteran starters Pinnock Giants and Grant Falcons in free agency Brown requirements a bounce-back year after a shaky SPECIALISTS K Jake Moody rd round P Mitch Wishnowsky th round LS Jon Weeks free agent Key departures LS Taybor Pepper free agent Analysis With a new coordinator in Brant Boyer and a new long snapper in Weeks the ers still are expected to bring in a new kicker to force Moody to compete for his embattled job Junior Bergen the ers th and final draft pick at No comes in to try unseating Jacob Cowing as the ers return specialist Bergen returned eight punts for touchdowns at Montana including three on just returns last season The NFL s revised-again kickoff rules put more onus on a playmaker and the ers don t have Deebo Samuel to deploy in the clutch
