Though the 49ers have had their fair share of misses during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era, they have typically drafted well. The Niners have found stars and key contributors and done an excellent job of identifying talent in the later rounds.
One area in which the jury is still out, however, is in the Niners’ ability to draft and develop offensive linemen.
For starters, the 49ers simply haven’t drafted that many OL since Shanahan and Lynch took over. San Francisco has made 49 draft selections since 2017 and spent only seven of them on offensive linemen. That’s just over 14 percent of their draft capital.
That might sound like a reasonable percentage, but only two of those selections have been in the first two rounds. The Niners spent the No. 9 overall pick on right tackle Mike McGlinchey in 2018 and a second-rounder on another Notre Dame alum, guard Aaron Banks, last year.
San Francisco has predominantly leaned on experienced players to keep its offensive line in the top half of the NFL. The 49ers still had Joe Staley in place at left tackle in 2017, and when he retired in 2020 they seamlessly transitioned to Trent Williams following a draft-day trade for a player who is the undisputed best at his position in the wake of a stellar 2021.
The oft-injured Weston Richburg and seven-time Pro Bowler Alex Mack were the players they invested in at center. Mack joined Richburg in retirement this offseason. San Francisco did a tremendous job developing Laken Tomlinson into a reliable starting left guard, but he was acquired in an astute 2017 trade.
Daniel Brunskill has blossomed from a former AAF player into a solid right guard, but McGlinchey – who started as a rookie – is the only player the Niners can claim to have drafted and developed into a viable starter on the offensive line. Other draftees have started games, but only as fill-ins for injured players.
Yet with holes to be filled at left guard and center this season, and the long-term future at right guard and right tackle in doubt with both Brunskill and McGlinchey set to be free agents in 2023, this year is one in which the Niners’ proficiency for developing draft picks on the offensive line will be tested.
Under the largest spotlight on the O-Line is the prospective left guard, Banks. He did not start as a rookie as Brunskill held on to the right guard spot. Shanahan, per NBC Sports Bay Area, thought Banks was ready to start during the second half of last season but wanted to avoid continuity problems by making the move amid a winning streak that got the Niners into the postseason.
Sliding into his more natural position of left guard, Banks will be under pressure to vindicate his coach’s assessment. He will have the safety net of playing next to the All-Pro Williams, but the decision to draft Banks so highly will come under intense scrutiny should he prove a weak link following his expected promotion to the starting lineup. It is on the Niners’ coaching staff to ensure he is ready for that step up.
Though Mack’s replacement is not an entirely untested player, the success of the transition from a veteran with an in-depth knowledge of the Shanahan scheme to a player with just three career starts in Jake Brendel will also be a reflection on the coaching staff.
Brendel is a favorite of offensive line coach Chris Foerster and, given he was Mack’s backup for the entirety of last season, the Niners have had plenty of time to groom him to be ready for this opportunity. It is imperative Brendel, who was solid last preseason, rises to the challenge and builds a successful relationship with Trey Lance in the quarterback’s first year as a starter.
An under-the-radar task facing the 49ers’ coaching staff is that of developing potential replacements in case one of or both Brunskill and McGlinchey depart next offseason. Brunskill would likely be relatively easy to re-sign, but the Niners may want to try to upgrade on a player on the receiving end of often unfair criticism.
McGlinchey’s future clearly hinges on his durability and his performance in 2022. His weight was already seen as an issue before he tore his quad last year, and it is tough to imagine the Niners feeling comfortable committing to paying him long-term without a season in which he is healthy and offers consistency in pass protection.
The 49ers have 2020 fifth-round pick Colton McKivitz as a candidate to play right guard while Nick Zakelj could also be in the mix there, though San Francisco’s 2022 sixth-round pick spent his college career on the left side at tackle. 2021 fifth-round pick Jaylon Moore might also get a shot at RG.
It is fourth-round pick Spencer Buford who may be the most important young backup for San Francisco in terms of the right side of the O-Line. The Niners view Burford as an interior lineman after playing at tackle for UTSA. In college he displayed impressive lateral movement in pass protection, power in his hands, and the ability to drop his anchor to shut down pass rushers. Burford is a physical, tone-setting player but is also smooth on the move in the run game and excelled quickly getting to the second level to take on linebackers in college.
Burford has the skill set to suggest he could grow into a starter who can operate at guard and tackle and, as they plot their future on the offensive line, it would greatly behoove the 49ers to make sure his abilities are harnessed.
The Niners are fortunate to have the premier left tackle in the game but the loss of two of their most reliable players up front has forced them to put faith in linemen they have molded. Depending on how McGlinchey and Brunskill perform in 2022, they may need to do the same in 2023. San Francisco has invested draft capital in the O-Line in each of the last three drafts, it’s now time for the Niners to prove they can successfully develop talent on the offensive side of the trenches.