San Francisco 49ers Should Have No Shortage of Offensive Weapons in 2012

The San Francisco 49ers emerged in 2011 as one of the best teams in the NFL, and they appeared to do so with a relatively average offensive attack, led by quarterback Alex Smith. That all changed this offseason when the Niners made it priority to bolster their depth on the offensive side of the ball.

I have to say, Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke and company have done an incredible job.

They’ve managed not only to convince the national media that Randy Moss can run in the 4.3 range, but they have also convinced many that Moss is actually looking like he might be getting back to form. If Moss is anything like what he was three years ago, this is going to be a heck of a move for the Niners. However, Moss doesn’t appear to be in line to start for San Francisco as of right now, and that is because of another player they added this offseason.

Giants punter Steve Weatherford may have been the star of the Super Bowl, but wide receiver Mario Manningham made an unbelievable catch near the end of the game that helped propel the Giants to victory lane. Manningham was set to cash in on a huge free agency deal in 2012, but he signed a very reasonable contract to play for the 49ers, allowing them to continue to make moves on the offensive side of the ball.

In the 2012 NFL Draft, San Francisco surprised a lot of people when they took another Big Ten receiver (Manningham is a Michigan Wolverine) in the first round, 2011 breakout star A.J. Jenkins. Jenkins is an excellent athlete at 6’0″ 190 pounds who runs a sub-4.4 second 40 yard dash and can make plays down the field and after the catch. Needless to say, between those three acquisitions, the Niners seriously upgraded the receiver position, despite losing Josh Morgan to the Washington Redskins.

In a matter of months, the Niners were able to transform their wide receiver group to Michael Crabtree and a bunch of guys to Michael Crabtree and some very good role players. We can’t forget about star tight end Vernon Davis, either, who had a huge couple of games in this past year’s playoffs.

The 49ers didn’t stop at the receiver position, though. They also made it a priority to load up on running backs as well. San Francisco went out and signed another player who has been a key part of two Super Bowl championships in New York, bruising running back Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs brings a physical style of play that will fit the 49ers’ offense perfectly.

On the exact opposite end of that spectrum, the Niners added Oregon speedster LaMichael James, a Heisman finalist in 2010 and one of the best running backs in the entire country. James provides the Niners with a serious change of pace in the running game and a very valuable weapon in the passing game. These two additions give San Francisco a running back stable that any team around the league would envy, headlined by Pro Bowl runner Frank Gore and last year’s fourth round pick–Kendall Hunter.

I also really like the addition of running back Jewel Hampton to the San Francisco backfield, though due to the depth I just laid out, I am not sure he will make the team. Hampton was a star freshman at Iowa behind Doak Walker Award winner Shonn Greene in 2008 before he suffered a myriad of injuries and wound up transferring to Southern Illinois. Hampton’s final season at Southern Illinois was extremely productive, and he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career while establishing himself as a stud runner.

Did I mention the Niners also re-signed wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.?

Alex Smith really has no excuses not to be great in 2012. The 49ers’ front office went out and made a ton of moves that make this offense very dynamic and give so many different options to your quarterback. I love the direction this team is headed, and I imagine fans of the team are as well.