If the NFL had an expansion team tomorrow, here's who the 49ers would likely leave unprotected

This is offseason time, so it's the perfect moment for us to make some hypothetical exercises and roster-building discussions. Next week, A to Z Sports will have a series of articles predicting what an NFL expansion franchise would look like—front office, coaching staff, expansion draft, everything.

The expansion draft is the part that would affect the rest of the league as well.

Back in 1995, the San Francisco 49ers had two players selected, both by the Carolina Panthers: tackle Harry Boatswain and defensive end Mark Thomas.

In 2002, the Houston Texans didn't take any 49ers players, but the team exposed tight end Greg Clark, center Ben Lynch, defensive tackle Reggie McGrew, and defensive back Anthony Parker.

Since we're already past free agency and the draft, the A to Z Sports expansion draft will have some different rules. Each team will be forced to leave 12 players unprotected from the current 90-man roster, but players with zero or one accrued NFL season are automatically protected. Moreover, players with no-trade clauses can't be on the list.

These are the rules:

1. Each current NFL team has to leave 12 players unprotected.

2. ⁠Players with 0 or 1 accrued seasons are automatically protected and can't be on the list. Players with no-trade clauses can't be added either.

3. ⁠If the player is taken, the expansion team will absorb both his future salaries and signing bonus prorations, so it can be a useful tool to unload veteran contracts.

4. ⁠The list is final, meaning that teams can't withdraw a player after another one has been selected.

5. ⁠The expansion team can get a maximum of two players from each NFL team, and a maximum of 40 players.

Under this set of rules, which players would the Niners expose to the fictional St. Louis Arches?

EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos

Gross-Matos is probably better than the usual exposed player, but this has a financial motivation. The expansion team would absorb not only what the 49ers have to pay him, but also the prorated cap hit as well. The move would clear up $9.473 million in cap space for the Niners in 2025 and $4.959 million in 2026, a void year, so it's a big incentive.

RB Israel Abanikanda

RB Patrick Taylor

A good developmental and an established back. The new team would probably take one at most here, so they could live with the outcome.

K Greg Joseph

P Thomas Morstead

The 49ers signed two veterans to create competition for Jake Moody and Mitch Wishnowsky. But in this type of exercise, it makes sense to expose them instead of players from more valuable positions.

WR Russell Gage

Gage has suffered with injuries lately, and he's not the player he once was. With Brandon Aiyuk getting back, the 49ers have enough depth to expose a depth veteran.

Other players exposed:

• TE Brayden Willis
• DT Kalia Davis
• EDGE Jonathan Garvin
• LB Curtis Robinson
• CB Siran Neal
• CB Dallis Flowers