Niner Noise's 2017 End-of-Season Awards for the 49ers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:41 p.m. ET

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Every year, the San Francisco 49ers dish out annual awards to players who made an impact in one way or another. Rather than go with this spin, Niner Noise offers up our own unique end-of-year awards for the red and gold in 2016.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) looks on before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, us here at Niner Noise could simply follow the lead of the San Francisco 49ers and dish out standard awards at the end of the 2016 season.

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You know, awards like team MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most-Improved Player, Most Inspirational Player, etc.

The thing is the 49ers have already done this. They did it at the tail end of what was otherwise a forgettable 2016 year in which the Niners went 2-14.

It’s hard to say which awards should be handed out for a team that bad.

So instead of taking the standard, official route, let’s look at awards any regular reader or fan would give to the red and gold’s players.

We’re going to have a little fun with this. It’s not to be taken seriously… well, maybe it is.

Considering how hard it was to watch San Francisco this season, it’s always worthwhile to have a little fun and relax with some entertaining “Easter egg” awards to sum up attributes not quite seen on the gridiron.

Jun 11, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during minicamp at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Social-Media Savvy Winner: Wide Receiver Torrey Smith

And the winner of Niner Noise’s Social-Media Savvy Winner is…

Well, none other than wide receiver Torrey Smith.

If you don’t follow San Francisco’s No. 1 wideout on Twitter, you should. He’s always on there. And Smith never hesitates to be vocal on social media.

We could pick a number of great examples, but let’s just stick to a few here:

Once you add Smith, you won’t have to wait too long for his insight. Oh, and he can have the Cutest Kid award too.

Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) reacts in the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers won 28-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Most Enthusiastic 49ers Player: Wide Receiver Jeremy Kerley

Sticking with our social media theme, wide receiver Jeremy Kerley gets the award for Most Enthusiastic 49ers Player, based largely on how pumped he was on Twitter before almost each and every game.

These are just a few, but it’s not hard to find enthusiastic tweets from Kerley — a likely hard thing to do, considering San Francisco’s struggles this season.

July 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Quinton Dial (92) stretches during training camp at the SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Aristotle Great Quotes Award: Defensive Tackle Quinton Dial

Like the first two 49ers on this list, you should give defensive tackle Quinton Dial a follow on Twitter.

And you might learn something.

Dial loves to share motivational quotes. They’re good ones too — the kind of inspirational ones that make you stop and think, “hmm… good point.”

Just look:

My wife is descended from Louisa May Alcott, so that was kind of cool.

Next: Most Likely to Star in an Episode of 'Game of Thrones'

Dec 18, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Zane Beadles (68) against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Most Likely to Star in an Episode of Game of Thrones: DE DeForest Buckner and OG Zane Beadles

We have a tie for the Most Likely to Star in an Episode of Game of Thrones, ladies and gentlemen.

Your winners are defensive end DeForest Buckner and offensive guard Zane Beadles!

OK, this is largely based off an article we had some fun with on Niner Noise, predicting which players on the 49ers are reflected in HBO’s hit series.

Beadles gets the nod because, well, he probably could suit up at Castle Black and fit right in with the Night’s Watch.

Buckner?

December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) sacks New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Well, that’s simple enough. I’m sure any of the GoT kingly hopefuls wished they had San Francisco’s best up-and-coming player on their side.

Oct 23, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (29) and cornerback Keith Reaser (27) raise their fists during the national anthem before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Most Likely to Change His First Name: Safety Jaquiski Tartt

Before we go any further, Jaquiski is a pretty cool name. It’s not dull and overused like John or Bill (sorry, all you Johns and Bills out there).

Let me set this up. I play this little game where I find a player with a unique name that’s a regularly used word. And then I change that player’s first name to make some sort of humorous combination.

So defensive tackle J.J. Watt should change his name to Kilo or Mega. Quarterback Andrew Luck could be either Good or Bad.

The Niners had a few other players who came close — Je’Ron Hamm could change his name to Honeybaked, Trent Brown could switch his to Hash and JaCorey Shepherd could change his to German.

Tartt wins out though. Why, well “Pop” sounds good. I like Pop Tarts.

Yeah, it’s dumb. But do you have a better way to keep a 2-14 season entertaining?

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) celebrates with tight end Vernon Davis (85) after scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Dancing with the 49ers Award: Wide Receiver Quinton Patton

Wide receiver Quinton Patton is known for some moves. And he doesn’t hesitate to show them on the field.

If you don’t believe me, just check out this clip from 2015:

Now the Niners just have to get him in the end zone more to see those moves on a regular basis.

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Alright, so none of this was meant to be anything serious. It was for fun. And maybe you chuckled. If not, well, at least you spent some quality time.

If you feel there are some other great award ideas, feel free to chime in on the comments section and speak your mind.

Why? Well, it’s a long time between now and the NFL Draft.

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