San Francisco 49ers

35-year old Joe Nedney kicked well last season for the Niners in his very limited opportunities.  Nedney played in 15 games for the Niners last season and he connected on 17 of 19 field goals (89.5%).  He also made all 22 of his extra point attempts last year.  Look for Nedney to score a lot of points for the Niners in the new offense.  Nedney has now played in 136 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 199 of 252 field goals (79%).  He also has made 261 of 264 extra points (98.9%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The 49ers will be looking to the TE a lot more in 2008 with Vernon Davis possibly having the kind of season many think he can.  Davis played in 14 games for the 49ers last season and he caught 52 passes for 509 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Davis to catch 75-80 passes this season if he can just stay healthy.  Davis has now played in 24 games in his NFL career and he has caught 72 passes for 774 yards (10.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

23-year old Delanie Walker also had a decent season for the Niners in 2007.  He played in all 16 games for the 49ers last season and he caught 21 passes for 174 yards (8.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Walker should also catch more balls than he did in 2007 in the new wide open offense of the Niners.  Walker has now played in 23 games in his NFL career and he has caught 23 passes for 204 yards (8.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.

25-year old Billy Bajema is a good run blocker but he doesn’t help much in the passing game as he didn’t catch a pass in 14 games for the 49ers last season.  He has played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has caught 5 passes for 54 yards (10.8 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The 49ers have brought in three new WRs that they hope fit into new offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz’ offense.  35-year old Isaac Bruce played for Martz in St. Louis and that’s no doubt why he’s here now.  Bruce is getting up there in years but he can still play the game.  He played in 14 games for the Rams last season and he caught 55 passes for 733 yards (13.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Bruce to improve on those numbers as long as one of the Niners’ QBs step up.  Bruce has now played in 197 games in his NFL career and he has caught 942 passes for 14,109 yards (15.0 avg) with 84 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 23 times for 150 yards (6.5 ypc) in his career.

27-year old Bryant Johnson has always been a solid #3 WR behind Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in Arizona.  But, he wants to make his own mark as a starter and the Niners will give him that chance.  Johnson played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 46 passes for 528 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Johnson to possibly double those numbers in the new Niners’ offense.  Johnson has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has caught 210 passes for 2,675 yards (12.7 avg) with 9 TD grabs.

28-year old Arnaz Battle was one of the best receivers on the 49ers last season and he should also benefit from the offensive change in philosophy.  Battle played in all 16 games for the 49ers last season and he caught 50 passes for 600 yards (12.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 4 times for 4 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run last season.  Look for Battle to have a really solid 2008 season for the 49ers and he could have a breakout year.  Battle has now played in 64 games in his NFL career and he has caught 149 passes for 1,792 yards (12.0 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 21 times for 59 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.

The 49ers really like 2nd year WR Jason Hill despite the fact that he didn’t do much as a rookie last season.  Hill played in 5 games for the Niners last season and he caught 1 whole pass for a whopping 6 yards.  Look for him to catch quite a few passes for the Niners this season as he has been impressive in training camp.

23-year old rookie Josh Morgan has also been outstanding in training camp and he could work his way right up this depth chart.  He played in 14 games (11 starts) at Virginia Tech last season and he caught 46 passes for 552 yards (12.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Morgan finished up his career at Virginia Tech playing in 51 games (24 starts) in which he caught 122 passes for 1,817 yards (14.9 avg) with 16 TD grabs.

28-year old Ashley Lelie is running out of chances to re-establish himself as a legit WR in the NFL.  He played in 15 games for the Niners last season and he caught 10 passes for 115 yards (11.5 avg) without a TD grab.  Lelie could move up the depth chart or off of the team altogether and it’s entirely up to him.  Lelie has now played in 94 games in his NFL career and he has caught 206 passes for 3,552 yards (17.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

With Mike Martz calling the plays for the Niners this season look for them to use extra WRs instead of a classic fullback often.  That’s bad news for Moran Norris who is a good lead blocker in the running game but that’s about the extent of his skills.  He played in 16 games (5 starts) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 7 times for 17 yards (2.4 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 38 yards (6.3 avg).  Look for the 49ers to use Norris on more special teams units as they will try to keep him busy this season.  Norris has now played in 92 games (30 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 10 times for 25 yards (2.5 ypc).  He has also caught 23 passes for 131 yards (5.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

Converted linebacker Zak Keasey will be the backup at fullback this season.  He has the size for the job at 6′0″, 245 pounds but he will have a lot to learn before he’s ready for the field on Sundays.  Keasey played in 13 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last season and he made 7 tackles.  He has only played in one other game in his career and he didn’t do anything in it.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The 49ers are set at running back and new offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz thinks that Frank Gore can have a few seasons like Marshall Faulk did for him in St. Louis.  Gore isn’t the receiver that Faulk was but he has more power between the tackles.  Gore played in 15 games (all starts) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 260 times for 1,102 yards (4.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 53 passes for 436 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  The biggest issue with Gore is just keeping him healthy as he has had a lot of surgeries in the past.  Hopefully, free agent signee DeShaun Foster will be able to give Gore a break once in a while.  Gore has now played in 45 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 699 times for 3,405 yards (4.9 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He also has caught 129 passes for 1,052 yards (8.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career.

DeShaun Foster will give the 49ers a solid backup running back who should help keep Frank Gore fresh.  Foster has a lot of things in common with Gore as they both have had problems with injuries in the past and they are both power runners.  Foster is also pretty fast which should help benefit the whole offense when he is on the floor.  Foster  played in 16 games (all starts) for the Panthers last season and he carried the ball 247 times for 876 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Don’t look for Foster to put up big numbers unless Frank Gore gets hurt in 2008.  Foster has now played in 63 games (40 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 851 times for 3,336 yards (3.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He also has caught 126 passes for 996 yards (7.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Michael Robinson has turned into a decent running back who specializes in trick plays as he played QB at Penn State.  Robinson has enough speed to get to the corner on sweeps but he needs to work on his hands a little bit in the passing game.  Robinson played in 15 games (1 start) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 26 times for 121 yards (4.7 ypc) and he also caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) but he didn’t score a TD.  Look for Robinson to get a little more playing time than he has in his first two seasons.  Robinson has now played in 31 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 64 times for 237 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 20 passes for 120 yards (6.0 avg) without a TD reception in his NFL career.

Thomas Clayton was a rookie in 2007 but he never made it to the field for the 49ers.  He will be a longshot this season to help out the 49ers much.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-