Grant Cohn: 5 49ers who may not be around for long – Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Most football teams give young players a few years to develop before replacing them with more young players. The 49ers may not be so patient.
With the exception of the current rookies, every young player on the Niners was drafted to fit Jim Harbaugh’s system, which later became Jim Tomsula’s system, neither of which have anything to do with the current system under Chip Kelly.
Harbaugh and Tomsula coached “phone-booth football” — 11 players trying to pound the football through the teeth of the defense. Kelly coaches spread football — 11 players trying to force the opposing team to defend the entire width of the field. Polar opposite philosophies.
Harbaugh and Tomsula needed tough players to make their philosophy work. Kelly needs fast players. He’ll have tremendous freedom to cut whomever he feels doesn’t fit his system.
Here are five big-name young players Kelly might cut before the regular season.
1. WR Quinton Patton, fourth-round pick, 2013.
Kelly typically starts three wide receivers, and Patton currently is one of the starting three. As he should be.
Patton deserves a chance to start. He hasn’t gotten many opportunities to play since entering the league, and he’ll be a free agent next offseason. He needs to play and play well to get a second contract.
Unfortunately for Patton, he didn’t play well during the two OTAs that were open to the media this offseason. Didn’t get open or fight to make contested catches. Went through the motions. Niners quarterbacks hardly ever threw to him.
In Patton’s defense, during April he had a cast on his right arm, and the arm may not yet be 100 percent. It had better heal soon, though, because his backup, Eric Rogers, was the Niners’ most impressive receiver during the first two OTAs. And Rogers’ backup, Devon Cajuste, also was impressive before he rolled his ankle — a minor injury.
Patton must outplay Cajuste and Rogers to make the team. The Niners signed those two undrafted free agents this offseason. They’re Chip-Kelly guys. Patton is not.
2. RB Mike Davis, fourth-round pick, 2015.
Another player who is not a Chip-Kelly guy. Davis is a Jim Tomsula guy — a tough “downhill” runner who is not elusive, does not make defenders miss. Davis runs through defenders and picks up yards after contact.
At least that’s what he did in college. In the NFL last season, his rookie season, he ran through no one. Picked up just 58 yards on 35 carries. Jarryd Freaking Hayne was better than Davis, and Hayne retired.
Now Davis has to play in an offense that requires elusive running backs who run parallel to the line of scrimmage before making a cut and juking a defender. That’s not what Davis does.
Davis also has to compete for a roster spot with one of the most elusive running backs in the draft this year, rookie sixth-round pick Kelvin Taylor, who’s a perfect fit for Kelly’s offense.
Good luck, Mike.
3. C Marcus Martin, third-round pick, 2014.
The Niners drafted Martin two years ago to back up starting center Daniel Kilgore and eventually take Kilgore’s job.
