NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.1. Offensive Tackle. There is a reason the 49ers gave up the most sacks in the league last year. There's a reason Frank Gore had a letdown year (a few, actually, but this is one). The 49ers are off to a good start at overhauling the position with Joe Staley, but Staley's moving over to the left side, and it's up in the air how he'll respond. Backup Kwame Harris is a free agent, and the 49ers aren't really fans of either him or Jonas Jennings. The team is going to need a starter at right tackle, whether that's Jennings or someone new. But the team need a general upgrade in talent and depth. Bad news. The 49ers don't have a late first round pick. They could hope that Jeff Otah, Ryan Clady, or Sam Baker fall to them. An intriguing pick for later in the first day is Heath Benedict from Newberry. They'll have to get some help out of the draft, because free agency is scarce. Max Starks looks to be the the best available, meaning someone will grossly overpay for him.
2. Wide Receiver. A lot of it -- poor pass protection, inaccurate quarterbacks -- can't be attributed to them, but the 49ers receivers also dropped a lot of passes and failed to do their share as well. Everybody thought Darrell Jackson was the answer, and he had the worst season of his career outside of 2005, when he only played six games. Arnaz Battle led the team catching just 48%. And then there's just the fact that Ashley Lelie even saw the field this season. It can be argued that better performance here makes the quarterback look better instead of the other way around. The 49ers are already rumored to be interested in Roy Williams, not to mention former Mike Martz disciple Isaac Bruce. Williams would be a great addition.
3. Guard. Staley's move to left tackle means Adam Snyder will probably slide into left guard. Justin Smiley is likely to leave in free agency. Larry Allen will retire. David Baas will be the starter at right guard. But the team still needs help at this area. The 49ers had problems with their interior running game, and a lot of pressure hit their quarterbacks up the middle. In Martz's scheme, quarterback protection is crucial. Alan Faneca is the best guard out there, and the market is actually pretty deep at guard.
4. Defensive End. Beside Patrick Willis, Marques Douglas was the 49ers' best player on defense last year. It's a good thing, then, that he wants to re-sign with the team this offseason. The other starter, Bryant Young, began his wait for Canton. The team's backups have talent, but ends are crucial in the team's 3-4 defense and it remains to be seen whether second-year guy Ray McDonald and the others can step into that void. The team has two very good rushing outside linebackers in Manny Lawson and Tully Banta-Cain, they need to make sure they have guys occupying blocks up front for them. Not much help in free agency; Terrell Suggs is the only real 3-4 lineman available, but the 49ers have a player like him in Lawson. They need an every-down end. At the end of the first round, Kentwan Balmer, Calais Campbell, or Phillip Merling are options; they can beef up, but there aren't any bodies that fit the 49ers' defense later in this draft.
