There’s a long way to go before the 49ers decide who their Sam linebacker is going to be. It’s one of the few open starting jobs on the roster, although given the deployment of personnel in modern defenses calling the third LB a “starting” job is a small stretch.
Still, the third linebacker in the 49ers’ base 4-3 defense is an important spot that requires a level of versatility as a run stopper who’s also not out of place in coverage. That’s where second-year former undrafted free agent Marcelino McCrary-Ball comes in.
The Indiana product spent all of last year on the practice squad, but has parlayed that experience into a chance at the starting Sam LB job in 2023.
With veteran Oren Burks, who began camp at that spot, working through an apparent injury that’s limiting his reps, McCrary-Ball is getting plenty of work with the first team.
He was a safety-linebacker hybrid in college who made some splash plays as a rookie in last year’s training camp and preseason. His versatility would make him a valuable third LB who could step in and play the Will LB spot if one of Fred Warner or Dre Greenlaw is unavailable.
There’s a long time to go until the 49ers have to make any firm decisions, but it’s notable that in a room with a pair of rookie draft picks and veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, it’s McCrary-Ball earning the first SLB run. This will be something worth tracking closely through the rest of camp and into the preseason.
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