Four Players who can Help Round out the 49ers Into Elite Form

It goes without saying that the San Francisco 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL.

To call them Super Bowl contenders would be valid as they are a fairly elite team. However, they have some weaknesses that can limit them to reach their full potential. Should those weakness with certain players end up being a strength, then the 49ers will find themselves with a significantly better chance at hoisting the Lombardi trophy this season.

Here are four players who can help round out the 49ers into elite form.

Colton McKivitz

I was never a Mike McGlinchey fan when he was with the 49ers. He arguably was the most polarizing player on the team after Jimmy Garoppolo throughout the years. McGlinchey tip toed a fine line of being a liability to being a solid starter. Well now that he is gone, the right tackle position looks even more of a liability with Colton McKivitz set to take it over. This a pretty huge leap of faith on the part of the 49ers here.

Offensive line coach Chris Foerster is going to have to get the most out of McKivitz and fast. Defenses are going to continually line up their best players and blitz his side. It can easily derail the offense to an extent. This is why if he can develop into an adequate starter, then the 49ers will be looking pretty sweet on the offensive line. He doesn't have to be elite of any sort, but he can't be a consistent turnstile that defenses take advantage of. If he can get himself into solid form, then the offense will be in fantastic shape.

Drake Jackson

So much pressure has been put on the shoulders of Drake Jackson with so many coaches talking up his offseason work ethic. It's practically unfair how much pressure is being placed on him, but this is why the 49ers took him with their second round pick last year. Jackson is needed to be the balancing act for Nick Bosa so that when offenses are focused on stopping Bosa, it'll be Jackson who makes them pay.

Should Jackson find that efficiency and be that impactful pass rusher, then it will make an already elite defense that much more unstoppable. Jackson is not only a player who can help round out the 49ers but give them their best defensive front since 2019, and we all know how pivotal to being elite that year was for the team because of the pass rush. Jackson needs to come close to the impact Dee Ford had four years ago. It's why he was drafted in the first place, so if he can provide that, then the defense will be unfair.

Deommodore Lenoir

The 49ers already have one sweet cornerback in Charvarius Ward. Most defenses are lucky to have just one of them, but the 49ers could potentially have two if Deommodore Lenoir builds upon his strong 2022 season. Lenoir played a big part in the 49ers letting Emmanuel Moseley walk in free agency. They loved what they saw in him. A corner who started out struggling, but never wavered and only improved as the season went on.

I have always liked Lenoir since his rookie season. He looked amazing in training camp for the handful of practice sessions I was at in 2021 and it translated in the preseason. All he needed was ample opportunity to show it like he did last year. Now, the 49ers find themselves with a promising cornerback. Lenoir could give the 49ers such a phenomenal defense if he can continue ascend. All of a sudden, every type of coverage is possible, and this defense goes from elite to cheating.

Brock Purdy

Every player listed previously could be average or a liability so long as Brock Purdy, or even any rostered quarterback, can be the real deal. If the Purdy that was on display as soon as he took over against the Dolphins was not a blip and ends up improving upon those performances, the 49ers are likely going to win the Super Bowl. Purdy doesn't even need to be elite, but he will need to show that his elbow isn't limiting him and that he can be better than last season.

It's going to be tough for Purdy to attain a significant degree of ascension since he has spent all offseason recovering and rehabbing his elbow. He hasn't been able to work on his weaknesses that he had last season, so defensive coordinators will be better prepared and know how to make him uncomfortable. Kyle Shanahan can't hide his quarterbacks all the time. Otherwise, the 49ers would have won a Super Bowl by now. It is good enough to make a playoff run, but not finish with a Lombardi trophy.