First-round draft pick Aldon Smith will wear No. 48 - at least early on - making him the only linebacker on the team with a number in the 40s. (Unless fullback Bruce Miller wows the coaches as an OLB). Smith wore No. 85 at Missouri, he said, because that was his high school number when he was a tight end.
After the draft, Smith said he considered the inverse - No. 58 - but found that it was already taken by linebacker Alex Joseph, whom the team signed on Dec. 29. All of which is a long way of saying, you might want to wait before rushing out and buying that "No. 48 Smith" jersey.
The other rookie numbers:
7: Colin Kaepernick
29: Chris Culliver
32: Kendall Hunter
41: Curtis Holcomb
43: Colin Jones
49: Bruce Miller
67: Daniel Kilgore
78: Mike Person
88: Ronald Johnson (And, no, he will not wear No. 80 during practice)
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San Jose native Tim Ryan is the new color analyst for 49ers preseason games, the team announced Tuesday. Ryan, a former defensive lineman who played at USC and for the Chicago Bears, takes over for Eric Davis, who will move into the radio booth this season in place of Gary Plummer.
"Tim played the game, works in a network broadcast booth, and does a daily NFL radio show. Those factors combined with his local roots will give CBS 5 viewers a unique perspective on the 49ers as well as the rest of the NFL" said CBS 5 sports Dennis 0'Donnell, who will continue to handle play-by-play duties in the preseason.
Ryan has been an NFL color analyst for Fox Sports since 2002. He currently hosts "Movin' The Chains" on Sirius XM satellite radio. He's been a regular visitor to 49ers training camps in recent seasons, has called a number of 49ers games and is familiar with the team.
The 2011 preseason, of course, would be the first thing to go should the league's lockout continue to drag on. However, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently fast-tracked the league's appeal of a lower court ruling by scheduling a June 3 hearing on the matter. That improves the chances that at least the legal steps could be completed prior to the exhibition season. The first preseason game is scheduled for Aug. 8.
Here is the 49ers' preseason schedule:
Fri, Aug. 12 @ New Orleans. 5 p.m., CBS-5
Sat, Aug. 20 vs. Oakland, 5 p.m., CBS-5
Sat, Aug. 27 vs. Houston, 5 p.m., CBS-5
Thurs, Sept. 1 @San Diego, 7 p.m., CBS-5
-- Matt Barrows
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