The 49ers on Sunday filled out their 10-man practice squad with a slew of familiar faces from the 90-man roster. Sometimes a team goes the entire year without their practice squad players ever becoming a story. That was the opposite for the 49ers last season, who had practice squad players Nick Mullens, Jeff Wilson and six others all wind up on the active roster.
San Francisco’s hope is to not have to dip into their practice squad to fill out the active roster again this season. With injury concerns still lingering though, it’s worth getting to know who the 49ers added to the 10-man practice group.
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
The 49ers signed Flannigan-Fowles after this year’s draft as an undrafted free agent from the University of Arizona. He was a safety in college, but moved to linebacker with San Francisco. He’ll need some time to develop at his new position, but his athleticism, safety skill set and size (6-2, 210 pounds) make him an intriguing future option at either Will or Sam linebacker.
DL Kevin Givens
Givens joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie from Penn State. He came on strong near the end of the preseason, starting the game in Denver and putting together enough good reps to warrant a look on the practice squad. Accumulating depth along the defensive front is a smart move for a team that could see some transition along the interior over the next couple seasons.
SS Marcell Harris
Harris was a 2018 sixth-round pick from Florida who started five of the eight games he played last year. His talent is apparent with some tremendous plays in the box last season, but he has to hone his all-around skill set if he’s going to be a viable option in San Francisco’s secondary. Their safety depth isn’t strong, so Harris is a candidate to land on the active roster at some point this year.
TE Daniel Helm
Helm was an undrafted rookie in camp with the Chargers before he got cut and signed by the 49ers. The Duke product offers a similar skill set to Kyle Juszczyk in his ability to function as a fullback and a move tight end. Helm quickly overtook fellow UDFA Tyree Mayfield in that role, and more time in the offense could make Helm a real candidate for a roster spot next year.
WR Malik Henry
There was never a real shot for Henry to make the 49ers’ roster. An influx of talent at receiver effectively locked the back of the depth chart for all but a couple incumbents and a veteran free agent. Henry’s speed and quickness are extremely enticing though despite underwhelming numbers in college. Marked improvement on the practice squad might put Henry in the conversation for a job on the 53-man next season.
LB Elijah Lee
Lee might’ve been the biggest surprise cut from the 49ers’ roster. He’s a quintessential backup linebacker who can hold his own in a spot start and contribute on special teams. A thumb injury that required surgery limited him to only one preseason game, and that might’ve been the key to undrafted rookie Azeez Al-Shaair surpassing him on the depth chart. Lee played in 16 games for the 49ers last year with five starts. He posted 65 tackles and one sack with three tackles for loss.
OL Ryan Pope
The 49ers didn’t officially announce Pope’s addition to the practice squad, but it was reported by Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Pope is a 6-7, 315-pound tackle who spent the preseason with the Lions after they added him as an undrafted rookie from San Diego State. The former Aztec has all the physical traits to be a dominant tackle, and the athleticism to play in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. His game badly needs polish though, and time on the practice squad should help him there.
OL Ross Reynolds
A lack of experience probably kept Reynolds from getting selected in the 2019 draft. It might’ve also been the reason the former Iowa Hawkeye couldn’t crack the 49ers’ 53-man roster despite a severe lack of depth in the offensive front. Reynolds has good athleticism that could serve him well once he has the benefit of an NFL weight-training program. Versatility is also something Reynolds needs to add, and he could see time on the active roster this year or next year if he can learn to play all three interior positions.
DL Jeremiah Valoaga
While much of the focus in the preseason was on defensive end Damontre Moore, Valoaga quietly led the club with 4.5 sacks. The 49ers added him two days before the first preseason game, and he racked up 2.0 sacks in that one, 0.5 against Denver, and then closed the preseason with 2.0 against the Chargers. He’s another player who could have a role as a depth piece on the defensive front if he can play on the edge and at tackle, and continues to show up in practice the way he did in exhibition contests.
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Wilson started making his case for a roster spot last year when he 4.0 yards per carry on 66 attempts in the final six games of the season. The undrafted free agent spent most of last year on the practice squad before injuries in the backfield pushed him onto the active roster. Wilson probably would’ve made this year’s team had they not signed Tevin Coleman in the offseason. He’s an NFL-caliber back, the 49ers just have too much depth at that position to justify putting Wilson on the club. He’ll be up quickly if anything goes awry with the running backs.
