Offseason Outlook 2015: San Fransisco 49ers

Offense

Colin Kaepernick has a lot riding on him this season. Possibly more than public opinion realizes. I can't overanalyze what Kaep can or can't do at this point, because over the last two and a half years there has been a lot of good, and a lot of bad. So 2015 is a complete question mark for what to expect from him. With that being said, the 49ers offense actually has a lot of solid pieces throughout it, and '9ers brass has done a good job of surrounding Kaep with talent. At wide receiver, San Fran signed Torrey Smith to reunite with Anquan Boldin. These two have played together before, and they both complement each other very well. Boldin is one of the most reliable pass catchers in the game, with terrific hands and route running ability, and what he lacks in straight line speed, Torrey Smith more than makes up for it. Smith excels under a big armed QB, and with Kaep's arm strength and his elite speed, they will really be able to stretch the field. They also have two potential surprise breakout candidates in Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington. My money is on Ellington carving out a nice role in the slot, and having a breakout year. At tight end, Vernon Davis is coming off of the worst year of his career since his rookie season in 2006, but he is still obviously a very talented player, and his bad numbers can partially be attributed to his usage and the offense. The '9ers also have Vance McDonald as their number 2 TE, and he is a solid player. On the offensive line, San Fransisco is still in good shape even after losing Mike Iupati. They have an elite left tackle in Joe Staley who is consistently among the leagues best pass blockers, and he can more than hold his own in the run game too. At left guard and center, two young players should be getting the starting nods. Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin are both talented players, and should be able be reliable starters at left guard and center respectively. San Fran's offensive line is closed out with a very strong right side. Alex Boone is a terrific guard, and the leader of this offensive line. When he was holding out last season, their O-line really struggled and not just at the RG spot, but because of what he brings to the entire line. At right tackle, the '9ers have Anthony Davis who has been a great pro ever since he was drafted and thrust into the starting job. This should be a good offensive line to support a mobile quarterback, and a very young, but potentially very good running game. Carlos Hyde is the presumed starter taking over for Frank Gore after he signed with the Colts in the offseason. Hyde is a big back with surprisingly quick feet, and he should be a solid starting running back in the NFL. San Fran also signed Reggie Bush to complement Hyde as a change of pace, home run hitting running back. Another player to watch out for is Mike Davis. He was drafted in the fourth round, but he's a grinder of a back and can get the job done if Hyde doesn't. Nobody is going to mistake this offense for the Green Bay Packers offense, but there is talent behind a very good offensive line. I'll say it one more time, it is all up to Colin Kaepernick though, because this offense (and team) will only go as far as he will take them. I think they could be a league average offense if Kaep has a good year, but I'm expecting them to be around the 20th best offense, which by the way is still an improvement over last season.

Defense

They lost Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Chris Culliver and Chris Borland. That hurts, a lot. Are they screwed? No they really aren't. This defense still has A LOT of talent, and they still have a terrific group of linebackers that will lead a very good defense. A lot of football fans don't realize that arguably their best player last season, NaVorro Bowman, didn't play a down of football in 2014. He is a top 5 defensive player when he's healthy, and should be huge for them this season. Alongside him on the inside, Michael Wilhoite or Phillip Wheeler will start, and both of those players are solid veterans. Outside, they have threats. Aldon Smith is one of the best pure pass rushers in football, and if he can stay out of his own way off the field, then he will be a dominant force for the 49ers on the field. Opposite Smith, Aaron Lynch is coming off of a surprisingly productive rookie season for a 5th round rookie. He should continue to grow as a player, and put up substantially better numbers in more playing time. San Fran also has Ahmad Brooks, Eli Harold and Corey Lemonier as added depth, and I expect all three of those players to be involved in this defense in some manner. On the defensive line, it is tough as a general football fan to see the Cowboy hang up his boots, but they have a lot of young talent to replace him. They drafted Arik Armstead in the first round for that purpose, and even though he's very raw he has a very high ceiling and could be great. Entirely focusing on next season, I don't expect Armstrong to have much of an impact, but he should figure to at least get a lot of snaps. In the middle, Glenn Dorsey is also returning from injury, and if he comes back successfully from his injury he is a big upgrade in the middle at nose tackle. Opposite Armstead, the 49ers signed Darnell Dockett who is coming off of a torn ACL himself. When healthy he is a very good player to have upfront, specifically in the pass rushing department. One depth guy to keep an eye on is Ian Williams. In very limited snaps last season, he was very good and he should be great again. The only question with him at this point is snaps, because they have a lot of veteran talent on this team returning from injury. In the secondary, this team is fairly thin at cornerback, but excellent at safety. At cornerback, they have Tramaine Brock who is a good cornerback, and actually a decent option for them as their number one guy. As depth, they have Shareece Wright, Chris Cook and Dontae Johnson who are all solid best case scenario. At safety, they have Antoine Bethea who is coming off of a very good season, and Eric Reid as the starters. Eric Reid took a step back in 2014, but I love his upside and I still think he can be a star. They also have Jimmie Ward who will most likely be playing slot cornerback for them in 2015, and he has good ball skills and could be a great slot cornerback. The 49ers also drafted Jaquiski Tartt who they drafted in the second round of this years draft, and apparently San Fransisco is in love with this kid. I graded him as a solid player (thought he was a round 3-4 guy) but I think he could be a big factor in their defensive plans sooner rather then later. Throughout all the craziness that has been going on in San Fransisco this offseason, their defense still looks solid. The losses are big, but the depth on this defense was always very good and it shows up big time after going through three key retirements and a big free agency loss. The returns of NaVorro Bowman and Glenn Dorsey are huge for this defense, and if it wants to continue to be good it needs both of those players to step up. There are still holes at cornerback, and question marks on the defensive line, but I think this will still be a top 10 defense in 2015. They can flat out bring the heat up front, and a lot of very talented players were either injured, suspended, or had down seasons which puts them in a position to potentially rebound in 2015.

San Fransisco is a weird team in 2015. I have seen a lot of people predicting them to be a bottom 5 team in the NFL, and there is such a negativity after their offseason but there shouldn't be. This is still a good team. A lot depends on their QB, which can be concerning, but this team will be very competitive and tough to beat once again in 2015. I don't think they will make the playoffs, and I feel like they are destined for an 8-8 season (give or take a game), but don't be surprised if they beat some very good teams come fall. There is also a lot of pressure on this new coaching staff. I think losing Jim Harbaugh will hurt them a lot (if they still had Jim and he had control of the locker room, I'd predict a playoff berth), and it will show in the first few games because he was an incredible coach. Who knows? Maybe Jim Tomsula will be good and they won't regret moving on from Harbaugh. Frankly, I can't possibly know that now, and I won't analyze that situation because it would all be bullshit. Purely speaking off of their roster though, this is a good team that will go as far as their QB, which seems to me like an .500 season.