What are the 49ers Remaining Needs?
Wide receiver and defensive tackle were the San Francisco 49ers' most glaring needs entering the draft.
Emmanuel Sanders had elected to take his talents to New Orleans, while DeForest Buckner was sent to Indianapolis. Losing two key players made filling those positions top priority. That is why the Niners addressed those needs immediately in the first-round of the draft with Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk.
The 49ers also were able to address their hole at left tackle by acquiring Trent Williams following Joe Staley's retirement. San Francisco was able to fill or at least shrink the holes left by three of their key players.
So what are the 49ers' remaining needs with the draft and free agency now history?
Non-existent.
Those the 49ers' current needs. No, that was not exaggeration. This team has done a stout job at addressing their needs this offseason. Not many teams are successful in doing so since so many don't have a concrete vision or plan. And even if they do have a plan, it is never easy to execute or stick to it.
The 49ers' plan was clear from the moment their offseason began. It was to keep as much of the roster intact. Considering they were far-and-away better than almost every team in the league, their strategy made perfect sense. With the exception of Sanders, Buckner, and Staley the 49ers accomplished that plan.
The 49ers treated the draft like a pit stop in a NASCAR race. They simply switched out their old tires (Sanders, Buckner, Staley) and replaced them with new ones (Kinlaw, Aiyuk, Williams).
Cornerback may be viewed as the last remaining need for the 49ers. Outside of Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley, there is questionable depth at the position. And its not like Ahkello Witherspoon left a promising impression the last time he was on the field.
However, the cornerback position is not much of a need in 2020. In the long-term, it is something of a concern, but for right now it is not. That is a position that gets over-exaggerated in the short-term, so I would not categorize corner as a current need.
The only other need that could come into question is the interior offensive line. But right guard seems to be Daniel Brunskill's to lose, and he will be an improvement over Mike Person. Colton McKivitz also was drafted to add depth to the position and can be a contingency plan for the Niners.
With that factored in, there really isn't a leftover need on this team. It is a fantastic sign that the 49ers are once again poised at a Super Bowl. All that is left is for the coaches to develop these players into solid, reliable contributors.
That is essentially the only remaining need for the 49ers: to elevate these young players to help propel the team towards a championship.
