The San Francisco 49ers have been looking to rebuild their once dominating defense. They have several needs at several key positions and still need to figure out what is going on with their quarterback situation. New coach Chip Kelly seemingly wants to keep Colin Kaepernick but is likely trying to find a way to lower his $11.9 million dollar cap hit, according to ESPN.GO.com.
The 49ers also have Blaine Gabbert, who may not be their first choice as the starting quarterback, but he could be the most productive. They were expected to draft a quarterback at some point as well, and with the number 7th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, it is possible they take any of the top three quarterback prospects.
The 49ers have $53 million in cap space and could use some of that to help fill their needs at inside linebacker, offensive tackle and wide receiver. At wide receiver, they can choose between free agents like Jermaine Kearse, Mohammad Sanu, Travis Benjamin and Marvin Jones. The third option here would be to draft a wide receiver, but the only play to go that high for that position would be Laquon Treadwell, according to 49ers.com.
The 49ers needing an inside linebacker makes sense, as they could look to draft Reggie Ragland with the number 7th overall pick, The Sacramento Bee.
They could also bolster that position by adding free agents like Stephen Tulloch, Danny Trevathan, Derrick Johnson and Brandon Marshall. The 49ers could also look at the offensive line and pick up some key free agents on that side of the ball, such as Kelechi Osemele or Cordy Glenn if he becomes available. They would be better off drafting a number 1 receiver, so whoever is quarterback has a top target to throw, too. Giving this offense some balance would be exactly what the 49ers needed take the next step in their development.
