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San Francisco 49ers - 2017-18 NFL Season Analysis
After an atrocious season with only 2 wins in 2016, the San Francisco 49ers look to turn things around with a completely new face in 2017. The 49ers made some major management changes and free agent pickups during the off-season. We can expect 2017 to be a foundation season for the new team as the players and coaches begin to acclimate with each other. Below is a breakdown of the many additions and drops the Niners made over the off-season:
Notable Management Additions
General Manager
John Lynch
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Safety, John Lynch started off strong in his new G.M role by drafting some key players to fill in the voids left on the 49ers Defense. Lynch aims to improve on Trent Baalke's brutal year and it seems like the fans are really embracing him.
Head Coach
Kyle Shanahan
Last year, Kyle Shanahan as an offensive coordinator led the Atlanta Falcons to a league leading 33.8 points per game. Now as a head coach for a struggling organization, Shanahan looks to light a spark to the dull 49ers offense. The Niners chose to forgo an offensive coordinator in 2017 and Shanahan will be calling the plays from the head coaching position.
Defensive Coordinator
Robert Saleh
Former linebacker coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Robert Saleh will become a defensive coordinator for the first time in 2017. Saleh will be switching up the Niners defensive scheme from 3-4 to a 4-3 base defense. So far the players and staff have applauded Saleh's confidence and simplicity in taking on his new role.
Notable Player Additions
Quarterback
Brian Hoyer
The 49ers entered the 2017 off-season without a Quarterback on their roster. After signing a 2-year deal in the off-season, Brian Hoyer is in line to be the starting QB in 2017. After serving 3 years as a backup for Tom Brady, Hoyer went on to play decently well for the Browns and Bears. Last year with Chicago, Hoyer had 4-straight games with over 300 pass yards before an injury cut his season short. So far, Hoyer has looked sharp in practice.
Running Back
Tim Hightower
Hightower and his new headcoach Kyle Shanahan go back together. When Tim was on the Redskins, Shanahan worked as his offensive coordinator. Now the two will pair up in San Francisco as Hightower takes on his role as a compliment to the starting Carlos Hyde.
Full Back
Kyle Juszczyk
Not many NFL teams still carry a full-back on their roster. The heavy-blocking power-back seems to be a thing of the past. Kyle Juszczyk on the other hand has proved there is still a role for a full-back in modern day football. The 49ers signed Juszczyk to a 4-year $21 million deal that will make him the highest paid full-back in the league.
Wide Receiver
Pierre Garcon
The 49ers signed the 30-year old veteran to a 5-year deal over the off-season. Garcon has proved to be a splendid receiver posting a league-high 113 receptions in 2013. Just like Hightower, Pierre Garcon has experience working with Kyle Shanahan as an offensive coordinator back in Washington and this was when Pierre posted his best numbers.
Tight End
Logan Paulsen
Another off-season signing with ties to Kyle Shanahan, Logan Paulsen is a veteran tight end that worked closely with Shanahan back in 2010 on the Redskins. Paulsen will be a contender for the staring tight end job and he might have an edge due to his experience working with Shanahan's schemes.
Linebacker
Elvis Dumervil
Malcolm Smith
The pro-bowl veteran linebacker, Elvis Dumervil heads to San Francisco after 4 years with the Baltimore Ravens. Dumervil missed some games last year due to injuries, but he was very productive with his time on the field. The 49ers hope he will be a great mentor to the young defensive players on the team. Malcolm Smith signed a 5-year deal with the 49ers over the off-season and has experience working with Robert Saleh's defensive schemes. Unfortunately, Smith was recently diagnosed with a torn pectoral and will begin the season on the injured reserve list.
Kicker
Robbie Gould
The veteran kicker, Robbie Gould spent 2005-2015 with the Chicago Bears and was consistently one of the best kickers in the league. During his time with the Bears he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Gould will make a great replacement for Phil Dawson.
Center
Jeremy Zuttah
The 49ers acquired Jeremy Zuttah in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens over the off-season. Zuttah will look to take over as the starting center in place of the struggling Dan Kilgore.
Notable Player Losses
Quarterback
Colin Kaepernick
Wide Receiver
Torrey Smith
Safety
Antoine Bethea
Kicker
Phil Dawson
Draft Picks
The 49ers new G.M John Lynch did some impressive draft work in 2017. They traded 6 times and ended up with 10 new players while managing to acquire 2nd & 3rd round picks for 2018. Here is a look at some of the promising 2017 draft picks:
Round 1, Pick 3
Soloman Thomas - Defensive Line - Stanford
The 49ers looks to add Soloman Thomas to their young defensive front featuring Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. They like Thomas' versatility and hope he will add significant pressure to their pass-rush.
Round 1, Pick 31
Reuben Foster - Linebacker - Alabama
John Lynch was eyeing Reuben Foster from the beginning of the draft and almost took him 3rd overall. Luckily the team managed to snag him on the back end of the first round. Although Foster failed a drug test at the combine, the 49ers took a fly and hope he will become a great addition to their linebacker set.
Round 3, Pick 66
Ahkello Witherspoon - Cornerback - Colorado
The 49ers lost 2 of their starting corners last year and desperately needed to fill the gap. They drafted Ahkello Witherspoon in the third round out of Colorado. He has a lot of potential and if all goes well, he should find himself with a starting job.
Round 3, Pick 104
C.J Beathard - Quarterback - Iowa
The 49ers took Iowa's C.J Beathard in the third round to accompany Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley at the quarterback position. Beathard has looked sharp in training camp and will be contending for the second-string spot.
Round 4, Pick 121
Joe Williams - Running Back - Utah
Joe Williams has great speed and a good size to go along with it. This combination of speed and size gives Williams some major up-side in the NFL (as long as he can stay out of trouble off the field). Last year Williams averaged 6.7 yards per carry for Utah.
The Run Down
2017 will be a year of learning and getting past the growing pains for the San Francisco 49ers. The changes made within the organization certainly look promising, but after going 7-25 in the last two seasons combined, it's tough to have high hopes for 2017 (although we can probably expect better than last year's 2-14). G.M John Lynch together with head coach Kyle Shanahan might be the breathe of fresh air this organization has been longing for during their treacherous 3 year nightmare.
The 49ers will begin the 2017 season by hosting the Panthers Week 1 on September 10th.