The San Francisco 49ers have wrapped up their mandatory minicamp and are poised to look forward to training camp when it opens in late July.
San Francisco has seen plenty of turnover this offseason. Losses have included defensive end Justin Smith, wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd, cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox, and linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland.
But these absences open up opportunities for other players to raise their game and fill the void.
Some position battles may be assumed, but rarely do NFL coaching staffs simply hand the job over to a player based strictly on his previous accolades.