Last season I signed up for text message updates from the 49ers and I have to say, some of the time I'm receiving them before seeing anything online.  Being in the slow days of June, not a whole lot is going on so not too many messages.  However, early yesterday afternoon I learned that the 49ers had successfully claimed QB Kyle Wright off waivers from the Vikings and waived QB Drew Olson.

Considering the quarterbacks already in camp, I'd be shocked if Wright was on the roster at the end of August.  At the same time, Wright could be a prime candidate for the practice squad.  Drew Olson actually spent a small part of the season on the practice squad.  In the meantime, the claim of Wright has inspired me.  The 49ers currently have 81 players on their roster, including unsigned draft picks.  Just for sh$#s and giggles I thought I'd put together the "worst starting lineup possible."  All of these players are certainly world class athletes, but many of them are not starter quality.

OFFENSE
QB: Kyle Wright - He was ok for the U last season but definitely the worst option.
RB: Michael Robinson - Robinson brings a lot to the table, but I'm convinced Thomas Clayton is a better pure running back.  We're not factoring in potential special teams contributions either.
WR: Dominque Ziegler & Jerard Rabb - I actually like most of the 49ers less wide receivers, especially Robert Jordan.  Ziegler has struggled with injuries problems and Rabb was the 1A banana at Boise State in 2006 (he was the guy who caught the lateral and tied the game).
TE: Cooper Wallace - At least JJ Finley is a rookie and put up better college numbers.  Wallace has been in the NFL a couple years and hasn't made a big impact yet.  I'd imagine he's coming to the end of the road pretty soon.
OT: Damane Duckett & Alan Reuber - Duckett is a pet project of Nolan and considering he's never actually played in a game as a tackle.  Reuber has been around since 2004 and has seen scattered action during that time.
C: Cody Wallace - Not exactly an inspired pick.  I'm tempted to just see Wallace starting over Heitmann, but this is more a default pick since the 49ers only have a pair of centers.
OG: Brian De La Puente & Jeb Terry - Terry has been around the league for a few years and seen some action mostly on special teams.  De La Puente is a rookie out of Cal and I wouldn't mind seeing him on the practice squad.

DEFENSE
DE: Atiyyah Ellison & Louis Holmes - Ellison joins the running theme of practice squad bodies on this squad.  Louis Holmes is an undrafted free agent, so it's certainly too early to tell what he brings to the table.
DT: Walter Curry - LaJuan Ramsey was battling for this spot, but Ramsey has actually registered real NFL statistics.  Curry was an undrafted free agent in 2005 and has bounced from practice squads to NFL Europe and back.
OLB: Roderick Green & Parys Haralson - The linebacker positions show you the deth the 49ers have.  Green and Haralson are probably not starting caliber (at least for the 49ers), but they provide quality depth
ILB: Dennis Haley & Larry Grant - As seen in the outside linebackers, inside linebacker would also be a strength of this particular team.  Grant is a favorite of mine, so we'll see how he looks in training camp.
CB: Markus Curry & Marcus Hudson - Curry has bounced around practice squads since 2005 and I'd imagine he'd be an early cut in training camp.  The second CB spot was tough.  Tarell Brown brings way too much upside and Strickland gets a pass thanks to his huge defensive play against the Cardinals.  Reggie Smith is too green to be considered here so that leaves "veteran" Marcus Hudson.
FS: Lewis Baker - He's an undrafted free agent with some potential, but I certainly don't see sticking Mark Roman or Dashon Goldson in this spot.
SS: DJ Parker - Similar to Baker above, I don't see sticking Michael Lewis or Keith Lewis in this spot.

There's a back-up punter but that would just be ridiculous to talk about.  Of course considering I just did an analysis of the bottom end of the roster pool, maybe I should have included Ricky Schmitt.  I'd imagine this team would probably go 0-16.  Although, I definitely think this would make for an impressive college team.  So, would this team be able to win at the NFL level?  Considering we're playing Miami this year, it's entirely possible 1-15 is a better bet.

After putting together a 53-man roster and practice squad projection, the next step is looking at the specific players that are battling for the final few spots on the 49ers roster.  This first one is probably not as difficult a choice as some of the ones to come in the next few weeks.  "My Boy" Jay Moore was drafted as a defensive end with the intention of moving him to outside linebacker.  The experiment was cut short when Moore went down with a high ankle sprain that ended up putting him on injured reserve for the season.  One could argue that was beneficial for Moore as he was able to spend the entire season learning what it takes to play outside linebacker.  You never want to see a player lose a season to injury, but if it's going to happen, it might as well be when you're still learning to play a new position.  You learn most on the field, but being able to observe has it's positives.

Way back in January of 2007 I got a scouting report on Moore from Corn Nation, the Nebraska blog for SB Nation.  The big problem for Moore heading into the draft was his size.  He was too small to be a traditional down lineman, but too big to be a linebacker.  The 49ers picked him up with the intention of converting him to OLB, in part because he brought solid speed to the table.  It's hard to make any predictions about his performance because his only NFL playing time was last preseason.  Furthermore, we still don't have a complete idea of how he will contribute.  Over at sf49ers.com, there was an article today in which they discussed the injury and what to expect this coming season.  After looking this over, it sounds like he'll play a role somewhat similar to new 49er Justin Smith:

With the ankle healed, Moore shifted his focus from rehab to losing a good amount of weight to help him in his, “hybrid” role with the defense. As of the second week of OTA’s Moore has been lining up at outside linebacker and has also been in a four-point stance as a defensive end in the 49ers 4-3 alignment. His combination of size and speed has also been utilized on the punt team.

I don't know if it's accurate to say he is being groomed as a poor man's Justin Smith.  However, Smith has been lining up an awful lot at outside linebacker, and Mike Nolan has discussed the plan to move Smith back and forth between defensive end and outside linebacker.  Smith is a more natural fit at the end position, but is athletic enough to make a big impact at outside linebacker.  The question is how Jay Moore perform in a similar role?  Going into the OTAs I would have guessed Smith would spend most of his time at DE and mix in some OLB, while Moore would be the opposite.  Now, Smith could very well be the starting OLB leaving Moore, TBC and Parys Haralson battling for playing time behind him and Lawson.

However, back to the bubble battle.  I think the only reason it's even a little questionable if Moore will make the roster is because of all the time Smith is getting at outside linebacker.  However, while contracts can certainly be voided, I don't see why you'd give Moore a 4-year deal if you didn't think he could make some sort of impact.  One could argue for a linebacker like Roderick Green or Dennis Haley since they're both only two years older than Moore.  However, I think Moore brings a little more upside to the table as far as the hybrid role he could fill.  Part of it is my own irrational bias towards Moore.  Either way, it could make for an interesting battle through training camp.  While I think Moore is relatively safe to make the roster, I think Green and Haley are two of the primary guys he's battling for a spot.

I realize this is probably insanely early to start looking at training camp battles, but it ties in well with the recent announcement that 49ers training camp starts July 24.  The 49ers will have ten practices open to the public so let's start prepping for those who make it to any practices (Hopefully I can get down there for another couple practices like last year).  The plan is to pull these out every so often over the next 2+ months.  I'll even create a section on the sidebar that keeps tabs of these posts and has them right at your fingertips.

"Ted" Linebacker
The Ted linebacker lines up on the tight end side of the field and takes up bodies, opening up the field for the Mike linebacker (Patrick Willis for the 49ers) to make many of the tackles.  Derek Smith fit the role perfectly as he was able to handle the grunt-work and didn't complain.  The question is who will take over the starting Ted role in 2008.  There were rumors the team was interested in Takeo Spikes, but we'll ignore that for now.  If Spikes were too sign before training camp, that would certainly be address.

Dontarrious Thomas
One of the newer 49ers in the mix, the folks at Daily Norseman provided some insight and the general idea is that Thomas is a great athlete but may not be an impact every-down guy right away.  Both Daily Norseman and Scouts Inc seem to think the mental part of the game is what has limited Thomas so far.  Clearly the mental side of the game applies to every position.  However, some positions allow for greater reliance on physical talent, while others require more processing of information.  Any ideas on how the "Ted" fits into this?  That would certainly have an impact on Thomas's ability to fill the role.

Jeff Ulbrich
Consider me not all that surprised to see Ulbrich in the battle for the Ted position.  Ulbrich has always been considered insufficient in the size and athleticism department and yet he continues to make contributions.  It seemed like this past year he made his name in special teams but was really all over the field.  Is Jeff Ulbrich the second coming of Derek Smith?  A guy who lacks the natural talent of many linebackers but still gets the job done?  I think of all these guys, Ulbrich is the safest bet to get a lot of playing time, even though he may not be as talented as Thomas.  I think Ulbrich has the inherent edge, but we'll see if he backs it up with production.

Larry Grant
Grant is a mere seventh round draft pick and is expected to make more of an impact on special teams this year.  However, the NFL has its fair share of players who have been after thoughts in the draft and end up as impact players in the league.  His scouting report indicates he's not a major playmaker, but that is not exactly a necessary trait for the Ted.  If he can stick around I could see him transitioning to getting time at the Ted in the future, particularly when Ulbrich is finished as a 49er.  We'll have to pay close attention to his special teams performances in 2008.

Others
Brandon Moore: Nolan has said Moore will spend his time as Patrick Willis' backup.  Moore has so much talent and yet he doesn't seem to have what it takes to get off blocks in the role of the Ted.  Maybe that is what makes him more suitable backing up Willis.  We all see great athletic talent, but he just isn't quite putting it together completely.

Dennis Haley: Another Ravens castoff joining the 49ers.  He's going to compete at the inside linebacker position in training camp, but barring injuries, I don't see him making the team.  Anybody out there know anything about Haley?

Ezra Butler: I completely forgot about undrafted rookie free agent Ezra Butler out of Nevada.  The team seems to be high on him and Barrows says Butler actually picked the 49ers over a couple teams who offered more money because he was psyched about the opportunity of playing for Mike Singletary.  The ultimate recruiter for linebackers.  If you want to vote for Butler, vote for the Other option.  Feel free to mention him in the comments if you'd like.