49ers name Eric Reid starting free safety

In case there were any questions about who was starting at free safety, Vic Fangio answered them convincingly. During his press conference today, Fangio was asked if Eric Reid would be the starting free safety this season, and Fangio confirmed he would be the starting free safety when the regular season begins.

The 49ers traded up to get Eric Reid, so it is not a surprise that he will be starting at free safety when Week 1 rolls around. From draft day, Fangio made it pretty clear that Reid was going to have to earn the starting free safety role, and it would not simply be handed to him. He rotated all around the depth chart, getting some measure of work with the 1s early on. Craig Dahl and C.J. Spillman got their share of work as well, as the team rotated safeties the first two weeks of the preseason.

Reid looked sharp in his first two games, and when given the starting nod this past Sunday, he continued to look sharp. The Vikings tested him deep on the first play of the game, with Christian Ponder going to Greg Jennings on a 40-yard pass. Reid had solid coverage and the pass went incomplete. He was not really tested much after that.

There is a whole season of football to see what this year's rookie class can do, but things are looking pretty solid, at least initially, for the 2013 draft class. Reid is in the starting lineup, Vance McDonald will be the No. 2 tight end, Corey Lemonier is looking at decent playing time, Quinton Patton impressed in his first preseason appearance, and B.J. Daniels has people fired up. There are several other players in the class dealing with injuries, but for now, so far so good.

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