*According to spotrac the 49ers have a little over 74.5 million in available cap space.
FA Signings
Andrew Norwell (LG) 6yrs-72 million (12 per) Few teams can offer him 12 per year, even fewer with a FQB and stable Coach.
Allen Robinson (WR) 5yrs-75 million (15 per) Better QB, Better System, More than likely matches best offer.
Ezekiel Ansah (LEO) 4yrs-64 million (16 per) Probably matches best offer, offers simplified role, more talent around him.
Daniel Kilgore (OC)4yrs-16 million (4 per) Continuity on an up an coming team, Lived here his entire career
Brock Coyle (LB) 4yrs-10 million (2.5 per) Continuity, Knows he's going to start for 6+ games as it stands now.
Ross Cockrell (CB) 3yrs-12 million (4 per) Assuming his market is lukewarm here, good size for our scheme
LaAdrian Waddle (OT)2yrs-4 million (2 per) Prove it deal
Ulrick John (OL) 1yr-2 million (2 per) Prove it deal
*57.5 million 1st year cap hit if deals are averaged out.
*17 million in available cap space before the draft.
*Around 8 million left in cap space after the draft. Info from the rookie draft pool table on overthecap. Rookie class will cost around 8-9 million depending on final draft position "9/10".
Draft
09: Joshua Jackson CB Iowa 6'1" 192
Potential #1 CB, Has the Size, Athleticism, and the Ball Skills teams covet. Former WR, catches with his hands, shows good awareness of routes/concepts, positioning himself to undercut and make the play. Could potentially move Akhello Witherspoon over to #2 sooner rather than later. Jackson, Witherspoon, Tartt, & Colbert, could make for a Young, Athletic, & Aggressive Secondary that forces QB's to be accurate and on time, and put fear in pass catchers.
59: Hercules Mata'afa DT Washington St. 6'2" 250
My Important Traits for a Pass Rusher: 1. Get-Off (First Step, Burst, etc) 2. Technique (Leverage, Hand-Placement, Bend, Swipes, Rips, etc) 3. Strength 4.Length (Size, Arm Length). Mata'afa is Elite in Traits 1 & 3. His Technique is good, but needs to improve/add more pass rushing moves. He only lacks Length. Traditionally Undersized for DE in 4-3, Top-End Speed/Coverage Ability lacking for 3-4 OLB. At LEO his size is fine, unless he has T-Rex arms. Consistent double teams may be a concern for most teams, but the 49ers would have Buckner/Armstead next to him most of the time, who can make teams pay for doing so. Could be used to create pressure from multiple spots on the line. Situational Pass Rusher, who could cause lines headaches playing alongside Buckner/Armstead and potentially Ansah & Buckner in some packages.
70: Tony Adams OG/C N.C. State 6'2" 322
3-Year Starter, Leader of the line. High Character, awarded for community work by his team. Played Tennis when he was younger and his father was the head wrestling coach at Boston College for over 30 years, these 2 experiences may be factors in Adams' above average footwork and technique. Even though he is undersized he plays with good balance and body control. Played in an outside zone scheme at N.C. State, well taught. Weaknesses are size and strength. Projects to be a starter at center(due to size) or guard early.
74: Michael Joseph CB Dubuque 6'1 186
Division III Player, seems to have the Size, Athleticism, and Ball Skills, to develop into a starter. Good Senior Bowl. Tons of production ( 166 Tkls, 20 PBU's, 15 INT's) in 3 years. Played in all 3 CB spots (Boundary, Field, Slot). Very good ball skills, ability to close on throws, communicates well in zone coverage, good instincts in off coverage, smooth backpedal, willing tackler. Needs to improve technique from press coverage, and polish/improve things like patience, balance, hand/arm technique. He may be projected as a late rounder now, but his Size+Athleticism combined with his production and Senior Bowl performance, I believe will cause a team to take him in the 3rd or 4th rounds. He could be eased in as a Dime/Nickel Back depending on match-ups as he improves.
124: Royce Freeman RB Oregon 6'0" 234
Falls to the 4th due to teams worrying about workload, (1,000+ carries) and diminished burst from earlier in his career. Would fit perfectly as a 3rd piece with Williams and Breida. Leading rusher in FBS history. Good size, good vision, good footwork and patience. Can run in any scheme.
134: Jake Wieneke WR South Dakota State 6'4" 213
Red Zone threat with great timing and high pointing skills. He may lack enough top end deep speed to be considered a deep threat, but he wins routes with smoothness, leverage, and timing, while showing the ability to adjust his routes and track the ball. Ability to run the full route tree and a willing and capable blocker on the perimeter. Drops due to level of competition combined with a lack of deep speed and catch/run playmaking ability.
170: Keishawn Bierria LB Washington 6'2" 223
High Character, High Work Ethic, High Motor, Smart, Patient, and a Leader. Quick to diagnose, plays with an urgency, spots his keys and recognizes who to pass off and pick up in zone coverage. Misses some tackles. Due to lack of athletic ability he may be relegated to special teams and as a back-up.
201: Brett Toth OT Army 6'6" 305
2-Year commitment plus lack of pass protection reps relegates Toth to more of a developmental prospect in the NFL. Good size could play at Tackle or Guard in the NFL, Athleticism/Agility/Quickness/Size could allow him to play LT, but he will need plenty of time to develop. Could instantly be plugged in as a swing/move lineman in certain packages.
214: Jordan Martin S Syracuse 6'3" 206
Long and Athletic. Played CB and Safety. Looks the part and checks all the physical trait boxes. Torn ACL caused him to miss the end of the 2014 season and all of the 2015 season, and another season ending wrist injury this year contributed to his extremely limited production in college. He did play all of 2016, playing the final 5 at corner. Injuries and being moved back and forth from CB to Safety more than likely hindered his development and could be the main cause of him looking the part but not playing like it. Simplified/Specified scheme + solid coaching + specified role + NFL Weight/Nutrition might be the mixture he needs to develop and produce. Flyer Worthy.
Projected 53 Man Roster
Offense [23]
QB: Jimmy Garoppolo; C.J. Beathard
RB: Matt Breida; Joe Williams; Royce Freeman
FB: Kyle Jusyzchk
TE: George Kittle; Garret Celek
WR: Allen Robinson; Pierre Garcon; Marquise Goodwin; Trent Taylor; Kendrick Bourne; Jake Wieneke
LT: Joe Staley; LaAdrian Waddle; (Brett Toth 2 years required duty)
LG: Andrew Norwell; Laken Tomlinson
OC: Daniel Kilgore
RG: Tony Adams; Joshua Garnett
RT: Trent Brown; Ulrick John
Defense [27]
LEO: Ezekiel Ansah; Hercules Mata'afa; Elvis Dumerville
3T: Deforest Buckner; Arik Armstead; Sheldon Day
NT: Earl Mitchell; D.J Jones
5T: Solomon Thomas; Ronald Blair
SAM: Eli Harold; Cassius Marsh
MLB: Reuben Foster; Brock Coyle
WLB: Malcolm Smith; Kieshawn Bierria; Dakoda Watson
CB: Akhello Witherspoon; Joshua Jackson; K'Waun Williams; Ross Cockrell; Michael Joseph; Greg Mabin
SS: Jaquiski Tartt; Jordan Martin
FS: Adrian Colbert; Jimmie Ward
Special Teams [3]
PK: Robbie Gould
PT: Bradley Pinion
LS: Kyle Nelson
Cuts
Aldrick Robinson [WR]
Deandre Carter [WR]
Aaron Burbridge [WR]
Victor Bolden [WR]*
Max McCaffrey [WR]
Cole Wick [TE]
Cole Hikutini [TE]*
Erik Magnusson [RT]*
Pace Murphy [OT]
Andrew Lauderdale [OT]
Darrell Williams [LT]*
Tyvis Powell [S]
Chancellor James [S]*
Jeremy McNichols [RB]*
Nick Mullens [QB]*
Pita Taumoepenu [SAM]*
Elijah Lee [OLB]
Boseko Lokombo [OLB]
Jimmie Gilbert [OLB]
Dexter McCoil [LB]
Donavin Newsome [ILB]
Mark Nzeocha [ILB]
Zane Beadles [OG/OT]
Don Jones [S]
Malcolm Johnson [FB]
Trovon Reed [CB]
Channing Stribling [CB]
The * represents possible PS members^^.
$9,193,116 in Cut Cap
$1,017,595 in Dead Money
$8,175,521 in Cap Savings
The Cap Savings from the Cuts along with the 8-9 million left over will leave the 49ers with around 16 million in available cap space to start the 2018 regular season.
Summary
I left 10 roster spots unfilled from the 90 because I see those signings coming from the undrafted free agent pool and the FA leftovers pool and even though 1 or 2 may earn a spot it's way to complicated trying to predict who will be left to sign and who of those might actually earn a spot.
The FA signings not only fill needs allowing the team to go BPA in the draft, they improve spots from last years' roster. Andrew Norwell immediately upgrades a guard spot, Allen Robinson improves the red zone offense, and Ezekiel Ansah upgrades the pass rush. Ross Cockrell has been solid though unspectacular throughout his career, even though the Steelers gave him away for a 7th round pick and he has been perhaps thankfully forgotten/unnoticed on the Giants tumultuous roster. Kilgore and Coyle are brought back on lower tier contracts as solid veterans who know the scheme. The lineman Waddle and John, are brought in as low cast backups on short term contracts who are hoping to carve out a back-up spot/swing role and improve their stock for what may be their last contracts in 1 or 2 years.
The 1st 3 picks of the Draft bring in a potential #1 CB, a potential LEO, and a potential starter at Guard who played and excelled in an outside zone scheme at N.C. State in college. All 3 picks address perceived priority needs. The next 3 picks Joseph, Freeman, and Wieneke all have the potential to make an impact in small specified roles to start their careers while growing into potential starters. Following those 3 there are 2 high character, high work ethic, young men who were leaders on their teams in Toth and Beierria. Brett Toth may be a future potential replacement for Joe Staley (big projection I know) in 2+ years after his required service. Keishawn Beierria is a potential Brock Coyle type to me, may develop into a solid LB who can play both the WLB & ILB positions and excel on special teams. The last pick, Jordan Martin is a size/speed guy who may be able to give us something similar at safety to Colbert or Tartt.
Lastly 53-Man Roster: The Secondary will be match-up specific, weekly and in-game I would assume, snaps and production matter more than who is getting the start. The D-Line should have a deep rotation of edge & interior pass rushers and run stoppers all who have a variety of traits to cause o-lines fits. On the Offensive side of the ball, plugging Andrew Norwell in at LG allows the best of Tomlinson (who the team is apparently high on), Adams, and Garnett to plug in at RG, maybe the team would put Norwell at RG and keep Tomlinson at LG for consistency, either way I believe this O-Line would be good enough for KS and JG to execute the entire playbook efficiently. The quintet of Robinson, Garcon, Goodwin, Taylor, and Kittle could be a headache for opposing secondaries, not to mention Bourne and Weineke can play both inside and out, with Robinson and Weineke both being Redzone/Jump Ball threats. The Trio of, Williams, Breida, and Freeman won't keep any D-Coordinators up at night, but they also won't give away play calls, as they can all run both outside and inside zone, while each back offers a different running style.
Your Thoughts??? How would you grade the FA signings, the Draft Picks? What do you think of the players signed/drafted (talent-wise, scheme-fit)? How would you grade the final Offensive and Defensive Rosters? How would you grade the Final 53 Man Roster? Do you think this is a playoff caliber team? Could this roster contend for a Superbowl? Multiple Superbowl Titles?
[ Edited by NinerLegionnaire on Feb 11, 2018 at 9:47 PM ]
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