SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan wants no part of depth charts, especially before training camp even begins.
The 49ers concluded their offseason work Wednesday with their mandatory minicamp, and it went about as well as they could have hoped. Key veterans rarely saw the field and so no one was injured. Brock Purdy is making steady progress with his right elbow.
Christian McCaffrey, who detests days off, got through it all unscathed. The OTA and mandatory minicamp sessions amounted to introductory seminars for new players and valuable review for returning players.
The 49ers have the most stacked roster in the NFL, and keeping the mainstays upright is Job 1. Mission accomplished.
“I don’t try to come in and know who’s ahead or not,” Shanahan said. “All this stuff gives these guys a chance to have a chance to compete in training camp.”
If Shanahan won’t oblige, here’s a guess as to how things will shape up in late July with the following 90 players under contract with only 53 to survive before Week 1 against Pittsburgh:
Quarterbacks (4)
Starter: Brock Purdy. Reserves: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, Brandon Allen
How it looks: It’s been made clear the job belongs to Purdy should his elbow rehab continue at its current pace and he’s ready for Week 1. If that happens, the question is whether the other two quarterbacks on the roster are Lance and Darnold or Darnold and Allen, with Lance possibly being trade bait.
Darkhorse: Lance looks much, much better at running the ball. Saw him in practice take off on an outside run and turn the corner instead of cutting upfield as an inside runner. That’s progress. If Purdy’s recovery stalls, it’s going to be tempting to see what he’s got as a starter rather than go straight to Darnold.
Running backs (8)
Starters: Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk. Reserves: Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Ty Davis-Price, Khalen Laborn, Ronald Awatt, Jack Colletto (FB)
How it looks: McCaffrey is the beating heart of the offense not only on game day, but in practice. Juszczyk remains one of the few fullbacks who gets regular work and remains a solid contributor. You wonder when the 49ers will tire of Mitchell’s injury issues. Running backs coach Bobby Turner is hoping to teach him to avoid so many direct hits while maintaining his ability to get two or three extra yards per carry. Mason appears to have passed Davis-Price based on the work he got in the offseason. As for Laborn, Awatt, you never know when free-agent backs are going to pique Shanahan’s curiosity.
Darkhorse: Colletto, an undrafted free agent looks as if he could stick around to back up Juszczyk or be available in case of injury. Could be a special teams keeper or even the 53-man roster should his special teams prowess stand out.
Wide receivers (11)
Starters: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel. Reserves: Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray, Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, Willie Snead IV, Dazz Newsome, Isaiah Winstead, Tay Martin.
How it looks: Aiyuk has been a standout in all offseason sessions. Samuel hasn’t participated in team sessions. His mea culpa about “distractions” and “bad film” fall on deaf ears until he proves himself worthy of the contract he signed before last season, and it sounds as if Shanahan delivered a “get your butt in gear” speech with video evidence to get him going. The fact is, besides his own issues, Samuel became less valuable as an offensive satellite once McCaffrey came on board. Even if Jennings never steps beyond his rep as a third-down target he’s worth it because of his production in that instance. McCloud, Gray, and Bell are the likely competitors to fill out the 53-man roster.
Darkhorse: Have seen too many drops to be completely comfortable with Gray, but lord knows Shanahan would love to have his speed on the field if he can demonstrate any kind of consistency.
Tight ends (6)
Starter: George Kittle. Reserves: Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner, Cameron Latu, Braydon Willis, Troy Fumagalli
How it looks: There’s Kittle, and then there’s everyone else. Neither Dwelley nor Woerner has stepped up in games when Kittle is injured and it’s conceivable they could be placed by two rookie draft picks in Latu and Willis. There’s also some sentiment on the coaching staff for Fumagalli.
Darkhorse: Latu has shown some downfield speed on seam routes and could be the kind of receiving tight end the 49ers have been missing when Kittle is unavailable.
Offensive line (15)
Starters: LT Trent Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Spencer Burford, RT Colton McKivitz. Reserves: T Matt Pryor, T Jaylon Moore, T Alfredo Gutierrez, G Jason Poe, G-C Jon Feliciano, G Joey Fisher, C Keith Ismael, G Nick Zakelj, G Ilm Manning, C Corey Luciano
How it looks: All eyes are on the right side, where McKivitz steps in for Mike McGlinchey, and Burford will start without the safety net of Daniel Brunskill, who departed in free agency. If Banks makes strides similar to that of last season, he and Williams will have the blind side covered as well as be effective power run blockers. Brendel is the 49ers’ third different starting center in three years and fared well enough to earn a four-year contract. Moore and Pryor would be a huge dropoff if Williams were to be injured, although run-game coordinator Chris Foerster has proved adept at piecing together a line in a time of need.
Darkhorse: If any of the three interior spots are either injured or ineffective, Feliciano was an excellent under-the-radar signing who could step in with little or no dropoff.
Defensive line (16)
Starters: E Nick Bosa, T Javon Hargrave, T Arik Armstead, E Drake Jackson. Reserves: E Clelin Ferrell, E Kerry Hyder Jr., E Austin Bryant, E Alex Barrett, E Darryl Johnson, E Robert Beal Jr., T Javon Kinlaw, T T.Y. McGill, T Kevin Givens, T Kalia Davis, T Marlon Davidson, T, Spencer Waege.
How it looks: Hargrave’s addition to go along with Bosa gives the 49ers a lethal Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside pass rush. The last time the 49ers had this kind of combo (in a different alignment) was with Aldon Smith and Justin Smith. If Armstead stays healthy, the interior should be fine. The question mark is whether Jackson and Ferrell can comprise a threat on the opposite side of Bosa. Kinlaw will always be suspect until he strings some healthy games/practices together. Georgia coaches raved about Beal’s ability as an outside rusher but didn’t use him that way. Doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Darkhorse: Maybe it’s recency bias, but Hyder managed to intercept a Lance pass and run it back for a touchdown to the delight of his defensive teammates during the last practice. He could flourish on a line with both Bosa and Hargrave.
Linebackers (9)
Starters: OLB Dre Greenlaw, MLB Fred Warner, OLB Oren Burks. Reserves: M-O Marcelino McCrary-Ball, O Demetrius Flangian-Fowles, O Mariano Sori-Martin, M Curtis Robinson, O Jalen Graham, O Dee Winters
How it looks: Warner and Greenlaw comprise one of the top twosomes in the NFL, with the speed necessary for modern linebackers in an era of playing in space. Azeez Al-Shaair departed in free agency, opening a spot when the 49ers actually use three linebackers.
Darkhorse: Take your pick between Winters, a sixth-round pick out of TCU, or Graham, a seventh-round selection out of Purdue. The 49ers believe both men are faster on game day than they are in combine drills.
Defensive backs (17)
Starters: CB Charvarius Ward, CB Deommodore Lenoir, SS Talanoa Hufanga, FS Tashaun Gipson, NB Isaiah Oliver. Reserves: CB Darrell Luter Jr., CB Samuel Womack III, CB Ambry Thomas, CB Quantrezz Knight, CB D’Shawn Jamison, CB A.J. Parker, CB Trey Swilling, S Ji’Ayir Brown, S George Odom, S Myles Hartsfield, S Tayler Hawkins, S Avery Young
How it looks: Ward, the 49ers’ big-ticket free agent a year ago, justified the expenditure by immediately being one of the top corners in the NFC. Lenoir appears capable of stepping in as the other outside corner and giving the 49ers excellent coverage capability. Oliver, signed as a free agent from Atlanta, likes playing inside in the nickel unlike his predecessor Jimmie Ward and has good size and blitz capability. Early indications suggest Brown, the 49ers’ first draft pick (third round) out of Penn State, can join Hufanga and Gipson in some three-safety sets and challenge for playing time. Hufanga had a decorated second season, but most of his best play came early in the season.
Darkhorse: Luter, a fifth-round pick out of South Alabama, could ascend past recent draft picks Womack and Thomas and challenge for playing time in sub packages or even start if necessary because of injury.
Specialists (4)
Starters: PK Jake Moody, P Mitch Wishnowsky, LS Taybor Pepper. Reserves: PK Zane Gonzalez
How it looks: Not much to see here other than how the return game shakes out. McCloud has the upper hand for both kickoffs and punts.
Darkhorse: Bell could join the receiving corps should he unseat McCloud as the return specialist. Otherwise, he’s likely a practice squad addition.
