The first wave of offseason moves left the 49ers with a large portion of their Super Bowl roster intact. However, a slew of trades, signings, and departures have left San Francisco with a list of new needs going into the NFL draft in April.
The list itself hasn’t changed much, but the order and the urgency of it certainly has. There are now clear holes on the roster and in the starting lineups on both sides of the ball that’ll need to be addressed in the draft.
Here’s what the list looks like after a week of free agency chaos:
Wide receiver
This was always a need for the 49ers, but it firmly planted itself at the top of the list when Emmanuel Sanders agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. Sanders’ exit leaves the 49ers’ receivers room relatively young and full of unproven talent. Not adding a receiver could wind up leaving San Francisco woefully short at the position going into the year. Another midseason trade could be on the table, but it’s hard to imagine they don’t go this direction with one of their early picks to try and replenish the talent void left by Sanders.
Offensive line
While the 49ers have addressed their depth on the offensive line by retaining reserves Ben Garland, Shon Coleman and Daniel Brunskill, and signing veteran Tom Compton, their work on the offensive front is likely not done. They released starting right guard Mike Person to open a starting job up front. While Brunskill, Garland and Compton will all compete for the right guard spot, the 49ers should add a young, cheap talent at the position. Whether it’s with the No. 13 pick, No. 31 pick or another pick in a trade back, San Francisco should address their offensive line vacancy earlier rather than later.
Defensive tackle
It was inconceivable that the interior of the defensive line would be a priority in the draft, but the DeForest Buckner trade has greatly skewed the 49ers’ needs. The former first-round pick left a mammoth hole on the 49ers’ defensive line that’ll be impossible to fill with just one player. While Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead, DJ Jones and others can play snaps inside, they’ll need a more steady, long-term presence there. San Francisco can afford to find a rotational player at that spot in the middle rounds of the draft, but if someone falls to them they believe can be a starter playing a heavy share of the snaps, it’s hard to believe they won’t jump at the opportunity.
Cornerback
Jimmie Ward’s return has changed the calculus on the 49ers’ needs in the secondary. While Ward’s health is still a question mark, San Francisco has their two starting safeties back, and Tarvarius Moore looks primed to fill in if Ward misses time. That shifts the 49ers’ needs in the secondary to cornerback, where they could use a starter, but need to focus on the years beyond the 2020 season. Richard Sherman is entering the final year of his contract at age 32, and neither Ahkello Witherspoon nor Emmanuel Moseley have proven to be long-term answers yet. The 49ers have enough talent to get by this year, but if they’re going to continue churning out a great pass defense, they’ll have to improve their depth sooner than later.
Tight end
While the 49ers can probably get by with their group of tight ends, their reported pursuit of Austin Hooper makes it clear the team wants better depth behind George Kittle. Levine Toilolo left in free agency, leaving Ross Dwelley and undrafted second-year player Daniel Helm backing up Kittle. This draft class isn’t particularly strong at tight end, but unless something drastic happens in free agency, they’ll likely add a player in the middle-to-late rounds to give them additional depth at an important position for their offense.
