The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of work to do before they can regain their former glory. They have to perform a lot of heavy lifting in a tough NFC West which produced two playoff teams last season, the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams and the wild card Seattle Seahawks. Fewer NFL divisions are tougher than the NFC West, which reduces the 49ers' margin for error. With that in mind, they need to carefully consider free agency targets.

Here is a list of three potential free agency targets the 49ers need to consider.

Rodger Saffold

Rodger Saffold is someone who, if nothing else, will serve as an excellent guard for Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers need to upgrade their pass protection, to be sure, and Saffold is nothing if not a fine choice to do just that. Garoppolo is coming off a torn ACL, so he needs to be protected to prevent more wear and tear. Since he is set to hit the open market, the team needs to consider the idea that Saffold, a profoundly underrated guard, may be just what they need.

Ezekiel Ansah

Another area where the 49ers need help is the pass rush, and that's where Ansah comes in. After dominating the 2013 NFL Combine, he started his career by tallying 71 quarterback hits and 30 sacks over his first three seasons. It really was something to behold from the talented pass rusher, someone many considered was too raw to make an immediate impact. Even though he experienced a bit of a setback in the past season because of injuries, the 49ers may want to snag him right before the Detroit Lions release him (and all signs point to the fact that he will, in fact, be released).

Tyrann Mathieu

A safety for the Houston Texans, Mathieu is another player who has been overlooked to date by the 49ers. This trend needs to stop. Mathieu can easily overpower rookie D.J. Reed, who has proven to be a woeful disappointment to the Niners. The Cardinals have regretted every day the fact that they let Mathieu get traded, and the 49ers would be hard-pressed to find someone who can handle this position with as much aplomb. If they're smart, they'll scoop him up the second they can.

A bonus relative to Mathieu: He knows the NFC West extremely well and knows the finer points of how to defend veteran wide receivers in the division.