Seven San Francisco 49ers found spots on ESPN's newly unveiled "Domestic Cup of American Football," an exercise from ***** yst Bill Barnwell inspired by the World Cup that splits the NFL into eight regional squads based on where players attended high school.
The idea, detailed on ESPN.com, borrows its premise from a rugby tradition overseas. Barnwell built 30-man rosters for California, Texas and Florida as standalone teams, plus five additional regional groupings, then applied rules on injuries, retirements and positional needs to keep things realistic for a hypothetical September tournament.
The 49ers' footprint spans three of those teams. On the California roster, linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir both made the cut. The Southwest team landed the 49ers' backfield tandem, with quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey both suiting up.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa represents San Francisco on the Florida roster, joining an edge-rushing group Barnwell called the state's deepest position group in the entire tournament. Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Mike Evans both landed on Texas, with Evans slotting in as the fourth receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb and Garrett Wilson, and Williams anchoring the tackle spot alongside Eagles star Lane Johnson.
Kittle was the notable 49er left off any roster, a byproduct of Barnwell's rule tying eligibility to players expected to be healthy for a September start. Kittle is still working back from the torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season.
The idea, detailed on ESPN.com, borrows its premise from a rugby tradition overseas. Barnwell built 30-man rosters for California, Texas and Florida as standalone teams, plus five additional regional groupings, then applied rules on injuries, retirements and positional needs to keep things realistic for a hypothetical September tournament.
The 49ers' footprint spans three of those teams. On the California roster, linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir both made the cut. The Southwest team landed the 49ers' backfield tandem, with quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey both suiting up.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa represents San Francisco on the Florida roster, joining an edge-rushing group Barnwell called the state's deepest position group in the entire tournament. Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Mike Evans both landed on Texas, with Evans slotting in as the fourth receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb and Garrett Wilson, and Williams anchoring the tackle spot alongside Eagles star Lane Johnson.
Kittle was the notable 49er left off any roster, a byproduct of Barnwell's rule tying eligibility to players expected to be healthy for a September start. Kittle is still working back from the torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season.
24 days ago
