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The 49ers were an appealing team for coveted undrafted free agents like Lorenzo Jerome, Cole Hikuntini and Matt Breida because they offered an opportunity for playing time.

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are putting together a young roster with a slew of new faces. That means very few starting spots are secured, while some incumbent starters like Vance McDonald, NaVorro Bowman and Carlos Hyde have been bandied about in trade rumors.

The 49ers offer as good a chance as any for young players to rise up depth charts and make names for themselves. Here we’ll look at five players worth keeping an eye on this offseason for San Francisco…

Chris Jones, DT

Jones’ name often gets left out of the discussion when talking about the 49ers defensive line. After all, the group has three first-round draft picks and notable free agent addition Earl Mitchell vying for playing time.

But Jones was awfully disruptive in the OTA practice Tuesday that was open to the media. He can work at all three interior positions – nose tackle, three and five technique – and might push the Mitchell and Quinton Dial for snaps.

Jones was one of the few bright spots for San Francisco’s atrocious defense last year. He started all six games in which he appeared after being brought in off the street. He was signed back by the new regime in March, which bodes well for the former Dolphin and Patriot. He won a Super Bowl with New England in 2014 and managed six sacks the year prior.

So while DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas figure to dominate the discussion when talking about the 49ers’ defensive line, don’t be surprised if Jones sneaks back into the rotation. He signed a one-year contract and has plenty of incentive to have a good year in 2017.