The San Francisco 49ers signed 18 undrafted free agents to round out their 90-man roster. The group is attending rookie minicamp this week as they begin the journey to training camp and their hopes of earning a spot on the 53-man roster.
Every year, there are some UDFAs that come into camp with high hopes, and others who fly under the radar. Given the 49ers current roster churn, there is a pretty solid likelihood that a couple UDFAs land on the 53-man roster. The current coaching staff and front office have no allegiances to any players on the 2016 roster. That’s not to say they won’t attach themselves to some of the previous players, but they don’t have any potential blind spots due to recent history with the players.
Below is a list of the 49ers UDFAs. The high profile names are wide receiver K.D. Cannon, tight end Cole Hikutini, and linebacker Jimmie Gilbert thanks to sizable guaranteed money. Safety Lorenzo Jerome is up there after Todd McShay ranked him as the best UDFA on the market.
We’ll get to know more about each of these players over the next couple months leading up to training camp. We’ll be looking at each one of them in greater detail in our upcoming 90-in-90 series. We’ll look at what they bring to the table and what their chances are at making the roster. In the meantime, who are your favorites to potentially secure a roster spot, and not just a practice squad spot?
QB Nick Mullens, Southern Miss
RB Matt Breida, Georgia Southern
FB Tyler McCloskey, Houston
WR Victor Bolden, Oregon State
WR Kendrick Bourne, Eastern Washington
WR KD Cannon, Baylor
TE Cole Hikutini, Louisville
OL J.P. Flynn, Montana State
OL Evan Goodman, Arizona State
OL Erik Magnuson, Michigan
OL Bret Treadway, Lamar
OL Darrell Williams Jr., Western Kentucky
DE Noble Nwachukwu, West Virginia
LB Jimmie Gilbert, Colorado
LB Donavin Newsom, Missouri
DB Zach Franklin, Washburn
S Malik Golden, Penn State
S Lorenzo Jerome, Saint Francis (PA)