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San Francisco 49ers 2021 Breakout Candidates

The San Francisco 49ers have only two first draft class players under the supervision of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. It just happens that one, George Kittle, has become the best in the league in his position and the other, DJ Jones, is a dependable rotation piece.

While most of those original draft classes have either moved to other organizations or are now out of the league, the 49ers put together solid draft classes from 2018 to 2020. Some of these players have already started seeing considerable playtime but still have more to prove. Here are five players to watch out for in 2021.

1) RT Mike McGlinchey

The inclusion of McGlinchey to start this off might come as a bit of a surprise considering he’s been the right starter since it was voted # 9 in 2018 – 10 design pick.

McGlinchey was a solid run blocker, but his pass blocking leaves much to be desired. This was a concern that came out of college and it showed up in the field. Part of the problem could be the players lining up next to him on the right guard. In 2020, the 49ers played musical chairs on the right guard throughout the season.

With the 49ers investing a second round pick for Aaron Banks, the proper guard position should be cemented, which could lead to an improvement for McGlinchey.

2) WR Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk had a solid rookie season, ending 748 yards with 60 catches in just 12 games. The numbers were good, but could have been better.

So what happened Aiyuk was severely restricted by the quarterback game last season. On a number of occasions it was open, but the quarterbacks either couldn’t make the throws or decided not even to try to get it there.

Aiyuk has the ability to be a senior # 1 receiver in the NFL. If the 49ers choose Trey Lance as their quarterback, look for the sophomore wideout to come up with big numbers.

3) DT Javon Kinlaw

The 49ers made Kinlaw the 14th pick in the 2020 draft, and the rookie Defensive Tackle had a year up and down.

On the plus side, Kinlaw led all 49ers center-back lines in tackles with 33.

Kinlaw, on the other hand, struggled to put pressure against the pass and ended up with only 1.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, almost all of which came in the 49ers’ loss to New Orleans.

After Kinlaw was only able to work with the team as a rookie in the training camp due to Covid-19 protocols, he was able to work with coaches and teammates in Santa Clara during the entire offseason program. This could help Kinlaw reach new heights in 2021.

4) LB Dre Greenlaw

Greenlaw started 22 regular season games in his first two seasons with the 49ers and finished second on the team at tackles every year.

While Greenlaw has clearly already played at a high level, he makes this list due to the change in the defensive coordinator. With DeMeco Ryans, who is himself a former linebacker, you are looking for the linebackers of the 49ers to intervene even more in the defensive fixtures.

Fred Warner is one of the best linebackers in coverage in the entire NFL. So if Ryans decides to go with print packages, Greenlaw will likely be on the hunt, resulting in an increase in sacks and splash plays for the third year player.

5) WR Jauan Jennings

Kyle Shanahan has shown that he has a very specific way of running his offense and one of them is having a great third wide receiver. With Kendrick Bourne moving to New England, someone has to take on that role.

Jennings, who was selected by the 49ers in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, is likely to be that player. He will face competition from veterans Mohamed Sanu and Jalen Hurd for the role, but Sanu is at the back of his career and Hurd has yet to show that he can be healthy.

Throughout his college career, Jennings demonstrated the ability to get clutch pockets in third place and in the red zone. Look for him to do more of this for the 49ers in 2021.

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