San Francisco 49ers: Which practice squad players have the most potential?

The San Francisco 49ers have officially crafted their initial 10-man practice squad? But which players on the unit have the most potential for the future?

The San Francisco 49ers have finalized their initial 53-man roster and in doing so have seemingly set their roster ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But aside from crafting their 53-man roster, they also needed to sign 10 players to their practice squad. The 49ers will be looking to develop these young players into quality NFL contributors while they spend time honing their craft in practice.

As always, the team was looking for one thing in particular with their practice squad candidates: potential.

The NFL is a league of constant roster turnover and continuous organizational change. The league very much embraces the phrase “in with the new and out with the old.” And as such, teams are always looking for young, cheap players to develop.

San Francisco will turn to these 10 players to potentially fill future roles on the team. Now, many of them will never make it as full-time role players and will be left in the dust by the ever-changing world of the NFL.

But the 49ers could still find a diamond in the rough or two amongst these players. But which of the 10 has the most potential?

We’ll start with familiar faces who played on the active roster last year in Elijah Lee, Marcell Harris, and Jeff Wilson. And out of all these roster cuts, Lee was perhaps the most surprising.

Lee was a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2017 but has spent the last two seasons serving as a depth linebacker/special teamer for the 49ers. The 23-year-old has made 30 appearances over the past two years and even made five starts for the team in 2019.

But in terms of potential, Lee likely isn’t the most promising on the practice squad. The Kansas State product is a prototypical special teamer and backup linebacker who lacks the athletic traits to be a true starter in the league.

The same could be said for someone like Harris whose skillset is better suited for that of a special teams player. Harris was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers last season and even started in five games but much of that was due to extensive injuries suffered by the team’s safeties.

Ultimately, Harris is a good box safety whose limitations in coverage will keep him out of the starting lineup in today’s NFL.

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Wilson also saw regular-season action last year but was bumped off the roster by the trio of Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert. The North Texas product is a solid, if unspectacular NFL back whose likely best suited as a part of a committee or as quality depth.

Elsewhere, defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga quietly put together a stellar preseason leading the team in sacks with 4.5. While much of the attention was on former AAF standout Damontre Moore, it was Valoaga who was most efficient in bringing down the quarterback.

With proper development, the former Detroit Lions lineman could become quality defensive line depth in the future. The same could be said for undrafted rookie Kevin Givens who saw work with the starters in the Denver game.

Even someone like linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles has some pretty high potential. The converted safety has blazing speed for a linebacker but must bulk up and get stronger before he could be trusted to play in the middle of the defense.

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However, perhaps the player with the highest ceiling is someone who wasn’t even on the team in the preseason. Offensive tackle Ryan Pope was signed to the 49ers practice squad after spending the summer with the Detroit Lions.

A raw, physically-gifted undrafted free agent, Pope has the size and athleticism that scouts dream for our of an offensive tackle. However, his game is very unpolished and he could use a ton of development with his technique.

But for a 49ers team desperately in need of quality offensive line depth, Pope could be a player to keep an eye on. His floor is much lower than many of the players on this list and he may not even last a full season with the team, but his potential alone is cause for optimism.

The San Francisco 49ers practice squad looks promising but it remains to be seen how many will actually find a role on the team this year or in the future.

But for now, the potential looks promising.