It’s been a rough season in some ways for the San Francisco 49ers, but in spite of the 1-9 record, there are positives to take away from the first ten weeks. We have seen rookies step up, and some veterans surprise us along the way.
Jennifer Chan put together some thoughts on surprise standouts thus far, which you can view above, or click here. Among the players she mentioned were defensive end, Leger Douzable, safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Adrian Colbert, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, tight end George Kittle, and wide receiver Trent Taylor.
Leger Douzable is high on any list of 2017 surprises given he was signed off the street and has turned into a very solid presence as a defensive end injury replacement. Adrian Colbert deserves some recognition given his seventh round draft status. While a UDFA like Matt Breida was getting love through training camp, Colbert quietly flew along under the radar. He’ll be back in the starting lineup once his thumb is good to go, and he has a chance to further prove his value.
We could also look at Ahkello Witherspoon in the context of where he was situated when the season started. The 49ers spent a third round pick on him, so there were automatically expectations for him. By the end of camp however, he was inactive to start the season and it seemed like this season would be mostly a learning experience. It is still a learning experience, but Witherspoon has gotten a chance to learn a little more on the job!
Who would qualify as your biggest surprises thus far?