Are the San Francisco 49ers ready to get over the hump?

You may remember Dave Fucillo from his being immortalized in "The Candlestick Goodbye"? No? Well, you need to get out more! Dave is the talent head writer and site manager at SBN's Niner Nation. If you want to know what's going on in the 49ers world, his site is the best source in the entire Interwebs. I gave Dave the same list of questions as the other NFC West guests...

While sorting through all the off season moves and losses via free agency, then adding in the recent NFL Draft, most teams have new questions in 2014? How did San Francisco do overall in addressing their offensive and defensive needs? (Give me a 1 to 10 grade, with 10 being best)

Dave: Offense: I'd say a 9 would describe my feelings about their offseason work on the offensive side of the ball.

The 49ers added good to great depth at virtually every position on offense. They acquired WR Stevie Johnson via trade. They added Jonathan Martin for a conditional seventh round pick. The drafted Carlos Hyde, a player some considered the top running back in the draft. They even spent a seventh on arguably the best fullback in the draft for depth behind Bruce Miller.

I don't give it a 10 because their backup quarterback position remains a question mark. The team acquired Blaine Gabbert from the Jaguars, and then signed Kory Faulkner as an undrafted free agent. Gabbert was a bust in Jacksonville, so it remains to be seen if he's an improvement over Colt McCoy. I do like the idea of him working with Jim Harbaugh, but we have no idea what to expect from Gabbert. If Colin Kaepernick gets hurt, Gabbert is not the most inspiring of backups. Of course, there is a reason a lot of quarterbacks are backups, so I can only get so bothered by it.

Defense: I'd say a 7, but you could interview ten people and they might very well give you ten different grades.

The 49ers added talent on defense, but turnover in the secondary leaves some questions. Over the last two offseasons, the 49ers have flipped their entire secondary. Their Super Bowl 47 secondary consisted of CB Carlos Rogers, CB Tarell Brown, FS Dashon Goldson and SS Donte Whitner. The 49ers secondary on Week 1 could look like CB Tramaine Brock, CB Chris Culliver, FS Eric Reid and SS Antoine Bethea. I think that's a solid enough unit, but there are questions. Culliver hasn't played in a year, and Bethea is getting up there in age. the 49ers added DB Jimmie Ward in the draft, and he'll start at nickel back while eventually getting some safety time. He's talented, but as with any draft pick, we have to wait and see what he does.

Another big question is at inside linebacker. NaVorro Bowman is out potentially until the latter half of the 2014 season. The 49ers drafted Chris Borland and signed Shayne Skov as a UDFA. Michael Wilhoite will be the front-runner to start opposite Willis for now. I think Wilhoite can handle the job, but Baalke likes Borland, so we'll see how that pans out.

The 49ers did not make major additions to their defensive line, but that was due to the expected return of Tank Carradine. The 49ers spent a second round pick on him in 2013, and then effectively red-shirted him alongside Marcus Lattimore.

After studying the NFC West teams, I think they all - particularly the St. Louis Rams - have offensive line needs. In fact, it looks like the position of need they all have in common is Guard (Right or Left)? How did the 49ers address it's offensive line needs this off season?

The 49ers offensive line has generally been stout under Jim Harbaugh, but they've undergone some changes, and are seemingly anticipating more in the next year or two. The team let Jonathan Goodwin depart in free agency, and signed backup center/guard Daniel Kilgore to a fairly inexpensive 3-year contract extension. They then proceeded to draft USC center Marcus Martin. Kilgore is the front-runner at center, but Martin is incredibly talented. Martin will compete for the center role, but will likely also get some guard work.

The 49ers also drafted Clemson guard Brandon Thomas. Thomas tore his ACL in April while working out for the Saints, so he will "red-shirt" this year. Left guard Mike Iupati is due to hit free agency next offseason, and right guard Alex Boone due to hit free agency the following offseason. Boone is skipping OTAs, reportedly due to contract dissatisfaction. OTAs are voluntary, so we'll wait until minicamp and then training camp to see if this really becomes a thing. If Boone holds out, Joe Looney and Adam Snyder would likely compete for the right guard position.

And of course the 49ers acquired offensive tackle Jonathan Martin from the Miami Dolphins. If he makes the team, the 49ers owe Miami a 7th round pick. If he doesn't make the team, they owe the Dolphins nothing. Martin is signed through 2015, and I see him as a solid swing tackle candidate. He'll compete with Adam Snyder for that role. In 2013, Snyder was the primary backup at the tackle and guard positions. Joe Looney was behind him. This year, we could conceivably see the reserves become Looney, Jonathan Martin and Marcus Martin.

The NFC West appears to be sliding ever farther into a "run first" division. The Seahawks have the best running back (Marshawn Lynch) who fits this bill, with San Francisco's Frank Gore not far behind. The Rams have a promising second year RB in Zac Stacy, and Arizona's Andre Ellington showed flashes in 2013.