When you boast one of the best defenses in the NFL over a rather long period of time, you are sure to see some turnover. This is the situation that the San Francisco 49ers have found themselves in over the past couple seasons. And that won't change heading into the 2014 season.
It's going to be all about rebuilding in the draft and finding some nice stopgaps in free agency. San Francisco was able to do that at free safety last season when it replaced Dashon Goldson with first-round pick Eric Reid. That turned out well for the team, as Reid earned a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie, while Goldson struggled with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Utilizing somewhat the same philosophy, San Francisco let veteran Donte Whitner walk in free agency and signed another veteran in two-time Pro Bowl performer Antoine Bethea, who received less in annual salary and guaranteed money.
In any event, let's check in on the 49ers starting defense heading into the 2014 NFL draft in less than three weeks.
(X) NaVorro Bowman is recovering from a serious knee injury and likely won't be available to start the 2014 regular season. Michael Wilhoite figures to start opposite Patrick Willis in his stead.
(Y) Chris Culliver and Aldon Smith are both uncertan to go at this point following a off-field incidents. Both are subject to discipline, including suspension, from the league office.
New Starter: Antoine Bethea
Bethea will be called on to replace Donte Whitner next to Eric Reid in the back end of San Francisco's defense. The defensive back has seen his production drop a tad over the past couple years, but he's a consistent force at strong safety. The two-time Pro Bowler has started 16 games in each of the last six years and all 123 games that he's played in during an eight-year career.
The former sixth-round pick accumulated 124 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defended last year. It represented the fourth consecutive year that Bethea has tallied triple-digit tackle totals. Even if he plays stellar ball in 2014, Bethea isn't considered much more than a short-term fix. His contract dictates that the 49ers plan to replace him with a younger option after a year or two. That's the type of signing that Trent Baalke and Co. have been known for over the past few years.
Area of Improvement
I was going to go with actually staying out of trouble off the field, but that would be too easy. San Francisco may rely heavily on pressure from the front seven in its base 3-4 defense, but this doesn't mean that it can run a bunch of pedestrian cornerbacks out there. Tramaine Brock played extremely well in his first real playing time in the NFL, finishing among the top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Outside of that, there really isn't a whole heck of a lot to see here.
Chris Culliver was recently arrested on hit-and-run charges and felony possession of brass knuckles. The young cornerback also missed all of the 2013 season with a torn ACL. San Francisco retained Eric Wright on a one-year contract and signed former Minnesota Vikings second-round bust Chris Cook. If either play huge roles in 2014, the 49ers will be in trouble.
This leads many to believe that San Francisco will go out there and draft a cornerback early in the 2014 NFL draft next month. It has been linked to the likes of Jason Verrett, Justin Gilbert, Bradley Roby, Kyle Fuller and Pierre Desir, among others. Either way, San Francisco will have to add at least one physical presence at this position, especially with the competition it will be going up against in the NFC.
Potential Breakout Star
There are a lot of options here. Reid cannot be considered a breakout star because he did surprise the football world by earning a Pro Bowl trip last season. Ian Williams, who missed all of the 2013 season with a broken ankle, is yet another solid option.
However, I am going to go with another player who missed all of last year. Cornellius Carradine was considered a top-15 pick in the 2013 NFL draft prior to tearing his ACL in his final college game at Florida State in November of 2012. He's a dominating edge presence, who uses physicality, strength and surprising athleticism to make opposing blockers look foolish. Even though San Francisco has Justin Smith and Ray McDonald as "edge players" in its defensive front, "Tank" is going to get the playing time to make an immediate impact. Now bulked up to 280-plus pounds, he's going to bring that next level of physicality to San Francisco's defensive front. Look for a solid performance against the run as well as a consistent presence getting into the offensive backfield.
On His Way Out
Aldon Smith's most recent off-field incident at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this month could signify that he's done in San Francisco. According to some close to the situation, the 49ers are fully prepared to move on from the talented but enigmatic pass rusher. While conjecture based on some concrete information, there are also some who don't believe Smith will suit up for the 49ers in 2014.
Losing Smith would be rather big on the field. He's racked up the most sacks in NFL history for a player with less than 50 career games under his belt. What Smith brings to the table is a next-level dominance against opposing quarterbacks.
With that said, the 49ers are in position to overcome what would normally be a huge loss. Corey Lemonier and Dan Skuta played extremely well in Smith's stead last season. Lemonier, a third-round pick last April, is a raw pass-rush specialist. Meanwhile, Skuta is more of a coverage guy.
In addition to those two, San Francisco boasts six picks in the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL draft. It can easily go out there and find a decent young option behind Lemonier and Skuta to form a committe if Smith is indeed sideline for most or all of the 2014 season.