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Roster predictions: Which 16 players will fill the 49ers practice squad?

The new practice squad rules allow teams to keep 16 players now instead of 10

By Kyle Posey
NFL: AUG 29 Preseason - Chargers at 49ers Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The San Francisco 49ers will cut their roster down to 53 players by 1 p.m. PT on Saturday. We projected the Niners 53-man roster earlier this week. That roster you see isn’t necessarily “final,” as football is fluid. Since the practice squad rosters have expanded to 16, especially with the possibility of a player landing on the COVID list, the players on the practice squad will be more important than ever this year.

So, who makes the 49ers practice squad? Here’s is some important information about the updated rosters before we make projections:

The practice squad is different this year. Some of the important changes:

  • Teams are now allowed 16 players on the practice squad, up from the typical 10
  • Signing players off other practice squads requires the new players to pass through at least two days of COVID-19 testing protocols before the new player can join the team
  • Of those 16, four players can be protected each week from being poached by another team. Those four players can be changed every week
  • Vested veterans (players with four or more NFL seasons) are now eligible

Practice squad prediction

I’m going to cheat a little here, as I don’t believe the 16 players are currently on the roster.

  1. RB JaMycal Hasty
  2. RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
  3. WR Kevin White
  4. WR Jauan Jennings
  5. WR Shawn Poindexter
  6. OC Dakoda Shepley
  7. OT Jaryd Jones-Smith
  8. OC Hroniss Grasu (your starting center Week 1)
  9. TE Chase Harrell
  10. FB Josh Hokit
  11. LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
  12. CB Tim Harris
  13. DB Jared Mayden
  14. NT Darrion Daniels

I’m guessing that the 49ers will pluck a couple of players that are released from other teams. I wouldn’t rule out Mohamed Sanu at wideout. That’d give the team an opportunity to see Sanu in practice before calling him up for a regular-season game.

I’d also guess the Niners add a defensive lineman. Dion Jordan didn’t cut it and really didn’t give San Francisco any reason to keep him around after training camp.

Who would you guess the 16 members of the practice squad are?

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