The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a rebuild and while all the signs point in a promising direction there is clearly a lot of work that needs to be done.

The 49ers were in the Super Bowl only a handful of years ago and after many key players either retired or left the team, the current roster appears to be very far away from reaching the postseason.

Unfortunately, San Francisco got a tough break in 2018 as running back Jerick McKinnon and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo both experienced season-ending injuries.

In addition to the banged-up offense, the defense struggled all season. The potential with the current roster is there as well as numerous draft picks in 2019.

It's likely the team will be active in their efforts to make their way back to the postseason.

Will San Francisco trade for/sign a wide receiver?

There has been a ton of speculation in recent weeks in regards to San Francisco making a move for a big name wide receiver like Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr.

While the details are unknown on what the team is exactly willing to give up in return for a star playmaker, it's likely they'll have to surrender a high draft pick. The second overall pick would be a mistake to deal away unless the 49ers got a nice return.

The 49ers are in desperate need of some playmakers on offense aside from tight end George Kittle and as of now the wide receivers on the free agent market aren't incredibly enticing.

San Francisco appears poised to make a big move and it'll likely come near the time of draft night.

What should the 49ers do with their second overall pick?

A lot of the speculation so far revolves around the Arizona Cardinals first overall pick and who they will take.

The consensus for a while was Ohio State's Nick Bosa, who'll surely bolster a team's defense with his fantastic playmaking ability. Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen is getting a lot of attention as well and if Arizona takes Bosa then the 49ers will likely take Allen.

Either way, it's apparent San Francisco needs a lot of help on defense and whoever they end up with could be a difference maker in 2019.

Can the defense finally get back to their 2013 form?

The defense is far removed from the days of Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, and Navorro Bowman tormenting opposing offenses.

Unfortunately, Willis and Justin Smith retired shortly after their Super Bowl appearance and Aldon Smith had numerous off-field issues. The current defense has some true potential with players like DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas,  and Fred Warner.

The problem is they have solid players all over the field and no unit has emerged just yet. Cornerback Richard Sherman came over via free agency, but the rest of the secondary struggled terribly in 2018.

In addition to the porous secondary, the past few draft picks San Francisco has used to address the defensive needs have not exactly panned out quite yet. Solomon Thomas and DeForest Buckner are developing slowly and the 49ers could really use them sooner than later.

As of right now, the defense is amongst the worst in the league, but the unit is looking to make a huge leap in 2019.