49ers 53-man roster projection heading into training camp

After the NFL Draft, we projected how the depth chart for the San Francisco 49ers would look entering the season. With OTAs, minicamp, and everything in between, a lot can change in a month. Let’s start on offense:

I think the surprise cut could very well be Jordan Matthews. Great guy. Great teammate. I’m struggling to find what he does that will separate himself from the rest of the receivers. Matthews is better down the field receiver than Trent Taylor, but he doesn’t have the upside of Jalen Hurd. I wouldn’t count on Richie James making the roster.

Garrett Celek shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise here. He’ll be coming off back surgery. The 49ers drafted Smith, they also have Toilolo, and there’s also Tyree Mayfield as an H-back if needed.

Erik Magnuson is left off as Mike Person can play center. Willie Beavers can play both guard and tackle, but I don’t see the team giving up on Joshua Garnett.

Defense

It’ll come down to a numbers game on defense. With Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas able to play both inside and out, I suspect the 49ers will carry one less defensive linemen.

I have a feeling Greenlaw plays more snaps than Smith this season, even if he doesn’t “start.” Leaving Adrian Colbert off is a big surprise here. He’s currently running with the starters as Ward is sidelined. As training camp goes on, I don’t see Moore running with the third team here. Colbert was the toughest player to leave off this projection. The positional flexibility between Moore and Reed will keep them on the roster.

The final three spots are for Robbie Gould, Mitch Wishnowsky, and long snapper Colin Holba.

This is tough to project with the injury history for a lot of the players. This projection will likely look different come August when we do this one final time. For now, I’d feel good about most of these projections.