These players are the 49ers' building blocks for the future

How many do the 49ers have?

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The San Francisco 49ers are a team that leans heavily on their veteran options. While they are trying to transition to a younger roster, this has not successfully happened yet, and it has many wondering who is a part of the future in San Francisco.

Who are the building blocks of the San Francisco 49ers?

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report went through the building blocks for all 32 teams, and his selection for the 49ers top building block does make sense, but it may not be quite the most exciting option at the moment. Gagnon chose Mykel Williams.

Injuries completely destroyed Williams' rookie campaign, but he did flash enough in September and October to continue to be viewed as a key piece going forward. He only turned 21 in June and was a top-12 pick for a reason. It helps his case that the rest of San Francisco's rookie group has been pretty underwhelming.

Brad Gagnon

To be fair, the purpose was to list a rookie as the top building blocks. So, this is less about the real building blocks and more about the top rookie. It is true that San Francisco is leaning heavily on Williams, and it is clear that he will have a huge say in how good the pass rush and run defense are next year. 

Still, he was a bit unproductive during his first season and he ended the year with an ACL injury. That is not the most exciting season for a building block. When you look at the rookie class as a whole, both Alfred Collins and Upton Stout have played more than Williams and made a bigger impact. 

Neither has the positional value or the potential to impact the game that Williams does, but both would be better answers for this question right now. 

As far as actual building blocks, the right answer is Brock Purdy. Purdy is not quite on his rookie salary, but that is because the 49ers extended him early. He is young, and he is the future. More than that, his salary means he is the building block. 

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The 49ers once had a roster loaded with talent surrounding a cheap quarterback. As his salary cap hit goes up, the roster will lean on the quarterback to carry the load more. This will mean that they build around Purdy and not just drop Purdy into an already built roster. 

Beyond Purdy, some young names worth mentioning are Renardo Green, Ricky Pearsall, Dominick Puni, and Colton McKivitz, who is young enough to be considered a building block. 

The 49ers' building blocks are not as flashy as George Kittle and Trent Williams, so it may have some fans worried about the direction of the roster. 

Still, if Purdy hits and some of these young pieces take steps, they will be just fine.