53-Man Roster Through Two Preseason Games

Because why not, everyone else is doing it. I'll check those out after I write this to see where we disagree.

QB (3): Alex Smith (BOOO!), Colin Kaepernick, Josh McCown

Comments: They've already released Jeremiah Masoli and at this point McLeod Bethel-Thompson (McBLT) is still on the roster just as injury insurance. I don't think McCown will see any time against the Texans, but probably will in the preseason finale at San Diego that you can all feel free to skip.

RB (3): Frank Gore, Anthony Dixon, Kendall Hunter

Comments: Xavier Omon has had a couple of strong fourth quarter performances in the preseason, but Dixon hasn't done anything to warrant losing his job and it's telling that Omon still hasn't gotten any reps with the first or even second unit. Until he does, I can't champion his cause.

FB (2): Moran Norris, Bruce Miller

Comments: There's no doubt that Miller is the better athlete and the more natural fit for the west coast offense, but his experience at fullback has been all of one month. I think he has a very good chance of making the team because of his potential and the contributions he can make on special teams, and if I absolutely had to pick just one fullback to make the roster, I'd pick him. Norris is still the experienced veteran though, and despite his brutal game Saturday against the Raiders, I'm not quite writing him off yet. I just can't see Jim Harbaugh trusting a rookie making a position switch to block for Gore and Smith.

WR (5): Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree, Joshua Morgan, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams

Comments: I feel very good about those five. I had my doubts about Ginn and Williams early on, but the former has been a consistent performer in camp and is still their top return man, while the latter runs perhaps the best slant routes on the team, is as good at running after the catch as anyone, and has shown that he can stay healthy, for now. Beyond those five, there are 6th-round pick Ronald Johnson, who barely played last week, Dominique Zeigler, who just came off the PUP list on Monday in his recovery from an ACL tear last Nov. 29, and undrafted rookie Chris Hogan from Monmouth. Hogan was really turning some heads before he suffered an ankle injury on Aug. 9 and he just returned on Monday. I suppose the team could keep six guys, with Johnson the likeliest to be sixth, then Zeigler, then Hogan, but you gotta make cuts somewhere and for now I have only five here.

TE (3): Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Konrad Reuland

Comments: The Reuland/Nate Byham battle would've been interesting, but Byham tore his ACL early in camp and will be on IR. The writing was on the wall for Colin Cloherty, who didn't play at all on Saturday despite being healthy. Veteran Nate Lawrie might be the superior blocker, but Reuland is younger, faster, cheaper, and he knows Harbaugh's system, having played under him at Stanford.

T (4): Joe Staley, Anthony Davis, Alex Boone, Mike Person

Comments: Only question here is whether Person will make the team or whether they'll go with just three guys, but given Staley's injury history, I think four is a good number to be safe. Person has played well enough in the games to make the team.

G (4): Mike Iupati, Chilo Rachal, Daniel Kilgore, Tony Wragge

Comments: I had my questions about Wragge, but he had a dominating game against the Raiders. That was as good as I've ever seen him play, and his body looks sloppy than past seasons. I'd be pretty surprised if he was cut, given that he can play center too. I'd bet on Person not making it before Wragge.

C (2): Jonathan Goodwin, Adam Snyder

Comments: I still think Goodwin will win the starting job. Snyder will be the sixth man who will be the first off the bench at all three inside spots, and he can play right tackle too, if need be (though not well).

DE (4): Ray McDonald, Justin Smith, Will Tukuafu, Demarcus Dobbs

Comments: Pretty inexperienced crew around Smith, but here we are. Dobbs has played well enough to deserve the job over fellow undrafted rookie Ian Williams, who's more of a nose tackle anyway. However, I think Ricky Jean Francois would be the first guy off the bench in event of injury at all three spots along the defensive line. Harbaugh referred to him as a fourth starter the other day.

NT (2): Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean Francois

Comments: Again, I think Dobbs beats out Williams for the sixth defensive line spot, though I'm sure the coaches would like to keep Williams around on the practice squad. He got some good penetration during what few plays he got against the Raiders.

OLB (4): Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith, Parys Haralson, Antwan Applewhite

Comments: For a while I really thought Haralson would be a candidate to be cut (I even mentioned him in a radio interview as the guy who'd be the most surprising name), but the more I think about it, there's really nobody else on the roster who's better. He doesn't make that much money and can still be a rotation guy, or even a starter in name only while Smith gets most of the playing time.

ILB (4): Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Larry Grant, Blake Costanzo

Comments: Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said a special teams guy would have more priority than the fourth inside linebacker, so Costanzo, who was with special teams coordinator Brad Seely at Cleveland, gets the nod over Keaton Kristick, who looks to have improved this season. Scott McKillop really suffered a gruesome injury last year, not just an ACL but other ligaments and tendons as well and he's been hobbled in camp. He's practicing, but doesn't look right, and hasn't played in the preseason games. I wonder if they'll try IR'ing him again. That's really his only chance to stick around.

CB (5): Carlos Rogers, Shawntae Spencer, Tarell Brown, Chris Culliver, Tramaine Brock

Comments: Fangio did say the other week that Brown and Brock are competing for the last spot, suggesting that the team would keep only four corners, but Spencer's hamstring injury has lingered on and on and I don't think he'll be healthy anytime soon, so they'll need four other guys just to be safe. Phillip Adams, who fractured his ankle late in the season, doesn't look fully recovered just yet. His straight line speed is fine, but he's a bit stiff in his lateral movements. It's sad for him because he doesn't have practice squad eligibility (nor does Dominique Zeigler, for that matter). If it does come to a choice between Brown and Brock, my guess would be Brown, who played better against the Raiders and is the superior special teams performer.

S (5): Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson, Madieu Williams, Reggie Smith, C.J. Spillman

Comments: Fangio said he's got five NFL safeties and these are the five he mentioned. The impression I got is if there's a decision to be made, it will be fewer guys, not more, but it doesn't figure to come to that. Curtis Taylor, who's gone on IR twice in two seasons, still has practice squad eligibility despite having played 12 games already in his career. As do Chris Maragos and sixth-round pick Colin Jones.

ST (3): K David Akers, P Andy Lee, LS Brian Jennings

Comments: No, I don't quite see Sam Paulescu making it. He seems like a great guy though.

Practice Squad Guess:

WR Chris Hogan - He's big, tall, fast and can jump. The closest thing on the roster to Braylon Edwards.

WR Ronald Johnson - They won't let go of a draft pick that quickly.

C Chase Beeler - The only pure center on the team besides Goodwin.

G/T Derek Hall - Another Stanford guy getting reps on the third string.

FB Jack Corcoran - I've been impressed with him as a lead blocker.

DT Ian Williams - The closest of anyone on this list to actually making the team.

LB Keaton Kristick - Only played in six games last year.

S Colin Jones - Ditto the Johnson comments. Could be Taylor or Maragos, but Harbaugh isn't married to those guys.

I would also think the Niners will pick up a young quarterback from somebody's cut list that they can look to develop and use as a scout team guy. Somebody mobile.

POSTSCRIPT: Maiocco has both Johnson and Kristick making it and only eight offensive linemen, with both Wragge and Person missing out. I can't see the Niners keeping less than nine guys there. Also, he has Williams over Tukuafu, which is certainly possible.

The SB Nation guys don't have Wragge either, and also no Norris (from Fucillo's keyboard to Jim Harbaugh's ears) and no Dobbs. They do have Johnson, Ian Williams and Adams. Six corners? Can't see that.
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Scouts Inc. released their list of the Top 200 Players of the 2011 season (the link is for those of you with ESPN insider) and six 49ers were on it.

11. Patrick Willis, 25. Justin Smith, 111. Vernon Davis, 114. Frank Gore, 117. Donte Whitner and 129. Mike Iupati.

Smith seems a few slots too high, but he may be the best 3-4 end in football, so it's a minor quibble. Davis and Gore at 111 and 114 though is a joke. Davis in particular might be a top-50 guy or top-75 at the absolute worst. Gore is one of the seven or eight complete backs in the league that can do everything, and with him durability is the only issue. Whitner's fine where he is, but he'd be higher if he could've held on to a few interceptions that clanked off his hands last year in Buffalo (he'd be making a lot more money this year, too). I'm kind of floored by Iupati's ranking. I don't get that at all. He had a nice enough rookie year but certainly nothing earth-shattering, and doesn't seem to have progressed any to my untrained eye. In fact, you could argue that he was the 49ers worst lineman against Oakland on Saturday -- and I believe I just did.

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Tonight's song on my iPod that is typically enjoyed by a 13-year-old girl:
"Rockstar" by Nickelback.

Screw you, I like the lyrics. Plus how can you argue with a music video that's got Wayne Gretzky in it?

"The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap/we'll all stay skinny 'cos we just won't eat."

Until tomorrow...