Earlier this month, I ran a feature called "The 49ers Anti-Starting Lineup."  One of the featured players on that squad was wide receiver Dominique Zeigler.  The second year receiver out of Baylor spent all of 2007 on the practice squad and appeared to still be stuck in a numbers game as we head into 2008.

When I was projecting the 49ers 53-man roster I never even factored him into the roster.  When I moved onto the practice squad projection I didn't include him there either, figuring there were better, fresher options.  And I probably would not have thought about him again until he was cut, which I naturally assumed would take place.

However, as is the case in training camp, some comments have me considering whether I should be singing a different tune.  Over at the 49ers scout.com website, Craig Massei had some interesting comments about Zeigler:

And then there’s lanky Dominique Zeigler, who appears to have added some thickness to his frame, particularly from the waist down. Zeigler, an undrafted rookie last year who made a nice impression while spending the season on San Francisco’s practice squad, made a fine leaping catch while tiptoeing the sideline to end the morning session, then got open and snagged everything that came his way during the course of the afternoon, including a couple of passes deep down the field. If he keeps doing those kind of things, he’s a youngster that has to be considered.

Maiocco:

Dominique Zeigler, who made a highlight-reel catch on a weekly basis on the practice squad last season, has gotten off to a strong start. The 6-3, 185-pounder can really extend himself to make grabs.

Now, every training camp, some youngster makes a name for himself ever so briefly and becomes the player du jour for fans.  Last season, we had Marcus Maxwell and Thomas Clayton.  In the case of Maxwell, he had a big game in the NFL Europe title game, which naturally got me excited.  Clayton got us in a huff when he was the leading rusher last preseason.

So, what of Dominique Zeigler?  Considering the team has been going without pads, we certainly have to take any performance to date with a grain of salt.  A plus to a strong start is that he is hopefully in the minds of the coaches and thus they might pay a little closer attention to him.  However, until he produces during a game, it's all mere speculation, right?

Barring multiple injuries, I don't see how Zeigler can possibly make the 53-man roster.  Based on Mike Nolan's comments yesterday, it's pretty unlikely that the team will carry 6 wide receivers.  So that battle for spots 4 and 5 would be between Jason Hill, Ashley Lelie and Josh Morgan.  Dominique Zeigler does not factor into that race.

However, a return to the practice squad is not out of the realm of possibility.  He spent his entire first season on the practice squad so he remains eligible for a second year on the squad.  It's probably not the wildest and earth shattering suggestion in the world to suggest Zeigler might end up back on the practice squad.  Zeigler's situation is a good news/bad news type of thing for the 49ers and their fans.  The bad news is that there is a numbers crunch and Zeigler just isn't good enough to break through that crunch.  The good news is that three years ago, Zeigler probably would have gotten significant playing time because the team was so bad.  So, there's your silver lining.

So last week we had some fun projecting the 49ers 53-man roster for the upcoming season.  A vast majority of the spots were easy to fill, but as we got to the last few guys in and out, things got a little dicier.  There are definitely a few guys on the bubble when it comes to filling out the roster.  So, I thought it'd be fun (or at least useful information) to try and project out potential cuts and practice squad players.  In order to do that, I did some research in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement on who is eligible for the practice squad.  After the jump I've included the specific rules, word-for word, but in the meantime here's the quick and dirty version. 

A player is NOT eligible for the practice squad if he one accrued season of NFL experience.  An accrued season occurs when a player is on full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games.  After two seasons on the practice squad, a player can be on it for a third year, only if his team has at least 53 players on the Active/Inactive List the entire time.  That's a little more confusing too me, so I've made some notes on some of the guys below to whom that might apply.

After listing every player I went through and sorted guys into four groups: 1) Pretty much a lock to make the 53-man roster; 2) Ineligible for the practice squad, so on the bubble of making the 53-man roster or being cut; 3) Eligible for the practice squad but somewhat of a chance of making the 53-man roster, so on the bubble of making the 53-man or practice squad; and 4) eligible for the practice squad, but slim to no chance of making the 53-man roster, so on the bubble between the practice squad and being cut.  I determined practice squad eligibility by going through player bios at the 49ers website.  Also, there were a couple guys on my projected 53-man roster that are definitely bubble guys, so I've moved them off and added them to one of the groups.  All the players listed are in no particular order.

1. 53-man/Cut
FB Zak Keasey, OT Alan Reuber, DE Melvin Oliver, LB Roderick Green, LB Dennis Haley, G Jeb Terry, DE Atiyyah Ellison, DB Marcus Hudson, DB Markus Curry, G Qasim Mitchell, QB Drew Olson, TE Cooper Wallace, DT Walter Curry.  The last three might be eligible for a 3rd year on the practice squad, but I'm not 100% sure.

2. 53-man/Practice Squad
LB Larry Grant, LB Jay Moore, WR Josh Morgan, RB Thomas Clayton, DT Joe Cohen, WR Dominique Zeigler

3. Practice Squad/Cut
WR Cam Colvin, LB Shaun Richardson, S D.J. Parker, S Lewis Baker, WR Robert Jordan, WR Jerard Rabb, G Brian De La Puente, DE Louis Holmes, G John Booker, TE J.J. Finley,  P Ricky Schmitt

If my information is correct, we have at least 17 and possible 20 guys eligible for the practice squad (depending on how Olson, Wallace and Curry fall).  As the groupings are currently set, there are 51 guys on the 53-man roster.  I removed Larry Grant and Josh Morgan to reflect their bubble status.  Damane Duckett would be in trouble if the team signs Barry Sims and he made the 53-man roster as Duckett is not eligible for the practice squad.  Other than that, I think that leaves roughly 51 guys pretty locked in to the 53-man roster (obviously not factoring in any potential injuries). 

So, the question becomes, who makes up the practice squad?  If he stays healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see Robert Jordan stick around, as well as Shaun Richardson and/or Louis Holmes.  I'm going to say that Jay Moore bounces to the 53-man side of the bubble as my 53-man only has 3 natural outside linebackers (Lawson, TBC and Haralson).  It looks like Justin Smith will get plenty of time there but he'll be moving all over the place.  So for this exercise I see last year as like a practice squad year for Moore and will bump him into the 53-man.  I think Josh Morgan is a good bet to end up on the PS.  Thomas Clayton spent last season on the practice squad, but the signing of DeShaun Foster leaves him in a bad position, unless he can beat out Michael Robinson.  While he may be a more talented running back than Robinson, the team seems committed to turning Robinson into something of use.

In the end, the practice squad is much harder to project because you're inherently dealing with guys who are on the bubble as a whole.  Does the team want to keep some guys with a little NFL time around just in case, or do they go with young, fresh bodies?  For argument's sake I'll throw out 8 guys and wouldn't be surprised to get at least half of them wrong:

1. Josh Morgan, WR
2. Robert Jordan, WR
3. Shaun Richardson, LB
4. Louis Holmes, DE
5. Joe Cohen, DT
6. J.J. Finley, TE
7. Brian De La Puente, G
8. Thomas Clayton, RB

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