2015 NFL Predictions: NFC West in-depth preview

Jun 11, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver

(82) during minicamp at Levi

San Francisco 49ers: 

Key Additions: WR Torrey Smith, G/T Erik Pears, DT Darnell Dockett, CB Shareece Wright, DE Arik Armstead 

Beginning with the positive, the 49ers did add quality talent. Smith is a good wide receiver, though in my eyes he is overrated. The problem is the 49ers way overpaid him and will regret this move in a few years. Pears is a versatile lineman who will start right away at RT and should help right away.

Though past his prime and coming off a season ending injury, Dockett is a very good player and will make an impact right away on the 49ers D-line. Wright isn’t a very good corner, but he is better than anything they had available which makes him a decent addition. Armstead will start right away and the 49ers hope he can be the start of their rebuild and have a big impact right away.

Key Losses: RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree, WR Stevie Johnson, G Mike Iupati, T Anthony Davis, DE Ray McDonald, DT Justin Smith, ILB Chris Borland, ILB Patrick Willis, CB Chris Culliver, CB Perrish Cox, Coach Jim Harbaugh

Now for the negative. The 49ers lost have their starting squad. While Gore is getting older he still ran for over 1000 yards last year and has done so eight out of the last nine years, with 2010 being the only year where he didn’t reach the mark at that is mostly due to injury. Crabtree showed promise early in his career, but injuries took a toll on him and the 49ers were smart to let him go.

Johnson is a veteran who can still play decent football, but won’t be missed much. Iupati is a great guard who plays the run extremely well and will be greatly missed in San Fran. Davis surprisingly retired, dealing another blow to the offensive line, but Pears should be a solid replacement.

The defense is where the 49ers really lost a lot of players. McDonald was a good player, but due to his off the field issues the 49ers simply couldn’t afford to keep him. Smith has been a force at DT for the 49ers for the last 7 years and he will be extremely difficult to replace. Boreland was the breakout star last year, but he surprised everyone by announcing his retirement after only one year in the NFL. Willis also announced his retirement, which also came as a bit of a surprise. Together they could have been a great ILB duo, but with both retiring the 49ers are in some trouble.

Culliver had a very good year last year and Cox was solid as well, but the 49ers weren’t able to hold either of them, leaving them with yet another hole on defense. One of the biggest losses for the 49ers was losing Harbaugh. He is one of the best coaches in the game and led them to 3 straight NFC championships.  Great coaches only come around once in a while, and the 49ers and currently the NFL just missed out on one. If he likes to do some thing his own way, then let him as it obviously is having success.

December 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker

(99) during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi

Verdict: 

Kaepernick has a lot of talent and showed that early in his career, but he seemed to regress last year. It will be up to the new coaching staff to get him back to where he was early in his career. With Boldin and Smith, he now has the wide receivers of the team that beat him in the Super Bowl three years ago.

They really have to play well this year, as the depth behind them is terrible.  If Davis can get back to his 2013 form he would be a third quality target for Kaepernick. Though Gore left, the running game shouldn’t miss a beat as Hyde is a very talented young back. The problem is that the offensive line lost some quality players and will not be nearly as good as in past years.

The defense of the 49ers is still surprisingly good on paper despite losing so many key players. The defensive line will comprise of three players that all didn’t play a snap in the NFL last year. Still, Dorsey, Armstead and Dockett will make up a very stout defensive line. The linebacker corps really isn’t all too bad either.

If Smith gets his off the field issues in order he is great and Lynch/Brooks should be a good partner to him. Bowman and Wilhoite in the middle are decent as well giving the 49ers a solid group of LB’s. The secondary will have its issues though. Brock and Wright are a below average CB duo if compared to the rest of the NFL. Bethea and Reid at safety complete a defense that sounds surprisingly solid.

October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle

(74) lines up during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi

Prediction: 

Best Case Record: 8-8

Worst Case Record: 3-13

Prediction: 5-11

Team’s Offensive MVP: T Joe Staley

Team’s Defensive MVP: OLB Aldon Smith

Rookie Standout: DT Arik Armstead

The 49ers are still a surprisingly good team for the amount of good players, but they are in a very tough division and their outside of division schedule isn’t easy either. Their best case scenario is that they can go 3-3 and in-division and win their easy games outside of the division and then pull one or two upset wins.

Kaepernick would have to play very well in this case and the secondary can not be terrible. Worst case is that Kaepernick struggles and with him the entire offense and the secondary gets torched. Normally this team would be too good for an 3-13 record, but the schedule is so difficult that it could happen.

Next: Will third place be playing for a wild card spot?