Which undrafted free agents have the best chance of making the 49ers roster?

I’m going with a national champion.

The San Francisco 49ers had room to sign seven undrafted free agents. Here’s a look at the players they signed:

• Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai
• Michigan C Drake Nugent
• University of Missouri RB Cody Schrader
• Missouri State WR Terique Owens
• FAU DT Evan Anderson
• Furman TE Mason Pline
• Southern Mississippi OL Briason Mays

The team guaranteed Anderson $280,000. If we follow the money, Anderson has the best chance of making the roster. But it doesn’t always work that way. So, which undrafted free agent has the best chance of making the roster? Let’s take a look.

Camp arm?

The 49ers gave Josh Dobbs $2.24 million guaranteed. He’s Brock Purdy’s backup. Mordecai competes with Brandon Allen to be the emergency quarterback on game day.

Mordecai, a sixth-year senior, has a stronger than Allen. He can add some mustard to his throws and is willing to push the ball down the field. Mordecai’s biggest issues start with his footwork. That leads to overthrows. Plus, he has a knack for staring down his targets.

But he is accurate on underneath throws and presumably will get the ball out in a timely matter. I’d lean toward Mordecai being a camp arm, as Allen knows the system and was serviceable in training camp last year. Allen’s deep passes were better than then backup quarterback Sam Darnold.

Will a lineman sneak onto the roster?

The 49ers drafted two offensive linemen. Their starting center, Jake Brendel, was undrafted. Brendel, Aaron Banks, Dominick Puni, and Jon Feliciano are making the roster.

Ben Bartch and former sixth-rounder Nick Zakelj aren’t guaranteed to make the roster, and neither is Jarrett Kingston.

Nugent is a five-year junior who played on the best offensive line in college football. Like most centers, Nugent’s lack of length hurts his ability to control defenders’ snap-in and snap-out. But he’s experienced. You figure out what you can and can’t get away with when you play. Nugent’s strength and awareness makes him a sneaky candidate.

Mays weighs 295 pounds. He has an uphill battle to make the roster.

Anderson wasn’t consistent enough to be drafted. As you’d imagine, the 6’1,320-pounder has trouble controlling himself, making it easier for double teams to displace him. But there are enough flashes when you watch him that makes you think, “he can help.”

The only other actual nose tackle on the roster is Jordan Elliott. Anderson could learn how to handle double teams during his rookie year on the practice squad before contributing in Year 2.

Any special skills?

A skill player has to “wow” the coaching staff. That doesn’t mean they have to catch 30+ yard passes or have ankle-breaking runs every time they touch the ball. Raheem Mostert caught the coach’s eyes by covering kicks. That hard work earned him carries, and we know how that turned out.

Will we have a Mostert this year?

Schrader will be a fan favorite during the preseason. He’s 5’8 and runs like every carry is his last. However, he’s a subpar athlete with a small stature. That shows in the open field and pass protection.

His toughness, vision, and special teams value will give Schrader a chance. You won’t confuse him for a playmaker, but there’s enough burst, and he’s a no-nonsense runner to churn out seven- and eight-yard gains. Schrader may need to follow the Mostert plan. He’ll need to be better than Jordan Mason and Patrick Taylor.

Owens is a fun story. He did enough at the 49ers local Pro Day. He has the size at 6’3, and his vertical jump of 38.5 suggests he has the explosiveness you want at the position. There wasn’t much production in ten games this past season. Owens caught 28 passes for 528 yards.

Owens would have to fight tooth and nail to make the practice squad. And that’s if the team moves on from players like Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and Trent Taylor.

Pline is a former collegiate basketball player, so we can check the athleticism box. He’s 6’7, 254 pounds, the body type the 49ers have been looking for. At his Pro Day, coming off an injury, Pline ran in the mid-4.7s in the 40.

Pline will compete with Jake Tonges, Eric Saubert, Brayden Willis, and Cameron Latu. If he can show the necessary physicality, I could see him staying on the practice squad.

My pick: Drake Nugent.