Ranking the San Francisco 49ers most important position battles

The San Francisco 49ers’ plans for the season are gearing up with the first week of OTAs complete, and here we rank their most important position battles.

The San Francisco 49ers roster has undergone an extensive overhaul this offseason and, as such, the team that lines up for the Week 1 clash with the Carolina Panthers will have a very different look to the one that crushed the Rams in last year’s season opener.

But we are a long way from knowing who will be the starter at every position, with several key battles set to take place in training camp and preseason.

Here we rank the position battles that will have the biggest bearing on how the 49ers perform in 2017.

5. Wide Receiver

Pierre Garcon is the presumptive No. 1 receiver for the 49ers but who lines up across from him is yet to be determined. The 49ers brought in a number of receivers in the offseason, but none of Marquise Goodwin, Aldrick Robinson or Trent Taylor fit the mould of starters.

Goodwin is more of a boom-or-bust deep threat while Robinson and Taylor figure to compete for slot playing time with Jeremy Kerley and Bruce Ellington.

But the 49ers need a viable option on the outside beyond Garcon. DeAndre Smelter has the size and frame at 6-2 and 227 pounds and came into the 2015 draft drawing praise for his physicality, ability in the air and talent after the catch.

Injuries have prevented Smelter from showing any of that off in the pros, yet the 49ers need him or one of their litany of other pass-catchers to emerge as a potential starter if their passing attack is to experience a speedy and significant upturn in fortunes.