Part Four of Niner Noise’s Assessment on the 49ers 2016 NFL Draft Needs: Guard

The fourth part of Niner Noise’s take on NFL.com’s needs for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2016 NFL Draft focuses on the offensive guard position. It’s a need still in place despite the free-agent acquisition of Zane Beadles.

The San Francisco 49ers’ fourth most-pressing need, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, for the 2016 NFL Draft is offensive guard.

And it’s not hard to understand why.

Niner Noise’s third installment on 49ers draft needs covered the tackle position. We touched on how bad San Francisco’s offensive line was in 2015 — a unit which allowed the second most amount of sacks (53) on the year and was also graded out by Pro Football Focus as the 27th overall O-line in the NFL last season.

There weren’t too many positives emanating from the interior of the 49ers O-line in 2015. It’s safe to say that.

Left guard Alex Boone, who signed a free-agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason, finished an abbreviated year with a plus-2.0 overall grade, according to PFF (subscription required). Yet it’s hard to believe the 49ers had any intention of re-signing him.

On the other side of the line, San Francisco elected to start Jordan Devey at guard. And it’s hard for 49ers fans not to cringe when thinking about his efforts.

Why he received the starting job in 2015 is anyone’s guess. It certainly can’t do well to suggest promise for young guards like Brandon Thomas or Ian Silberman. Yet Devey’s numbers weren’t pretty regardless whether or not he beat out the competition.

According to PFF, Devey allowed three sacks, 18 quarterback hurries and finished the season with a minus-16.1 overall grade.

Yeah, those aren’t great numbers. Yet for some reason, Devey started 15 games before finally being replaced by up-and-coming guard Andrew Tiller.

And the difference was more than noteworthy, as Al Sacco of 49erswebzone.com pointed out.

Tiller would eventually finish the season with a plus-5.8 PFF grade.

Tiller’s ascent is a good thing, but the 49ers didn’t stop there and elected to sign former Jacksonville Jaguars guard Zane Beadles to a free-agent deal during the offseason.

Beadles, a 29-year-old former second-round pick, earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2012 when he was a member of the Denver Broncos. And he’s excited to be working within head coach Chip Kelly’s zone-blocking, uptempo offense.

“It was a big deal for me,” he said of the zone scheme utilized by Chip Kelly, per Joe Fann of 49ers.com. “I definitely think that system suits my strengths a little bit better. It was definitely a big consideration for me.

“The up-tempo offense and that style of play is something that I enjoy. My last couple years in Denver, that’s really what we majored in, playing that up-tempo, no-huddle offense. I had a blast playing in it. I’m excited to get back to that again.”

Beadles is expected to take Boone’s spot on the left side of the line.

Should Tiller assume the right guard spot, the 49ers’ needs in the draft may not be as pressing. As noted already, Thomas and Silberman’s prospects for working themselves into anything but a backup role don’t seem good at this point.

And Marcus Martin, who no longer needed to start at center following the return of then-injured Daniel Kilgore, still has a long way to go in order to prove his minus-45.6 overall PFF grade was just part of the proverbial “growing pains” associated with being a young player.

Tiller may, or may not, fit into San Francisco’s long-term plans. And the 49ers may be looking for upgrades anyway.

So let’s shift our focus to the NFL Draft itself. Here’s a list of top prospects, according to CBS Sports:

1. Cody Whitehair, Kansas State
2. Vadal Alexander, LSU
3. Joshua Garnett, Stanford
4. Christian Westerman, Arizona State
5. Landon Turner, North Carolina
6. Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas
7. Connor McGovern, Missouri
8. Spencer Drango, Baylor
9. Graham Glasgow, Michigan
10. Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State

None of the aforementioned prospects are surefire first-round picks, according to CBS Sports. But one name to watch is Stanford’s Joshua Garnett.

Garnett — the 2015 recipient of the Outland Trophy, which recognizes the best NCAA interior lineman — is a 6’4″, 312-pound prospect expected to go in Round 2, per CBS Sports. And he has some excellent physicality and ability to jell with what the 49ers O-line will try to do in 2016.

The question is whether or not San Francisco would want to use its second-round pick to pick up Garnett. It wouldn’t be a bad move at all though, given the team’s issues along the line last year and the concern whether or not Tiller can back up his impressive 2015 efforts.

Considering how poorly the 49ers ranked in run-blocking schemes last year though, and with running back Carlos Hyde looking to reassert himself on the field, adding a player like Garnett would be a wise move.

He’d immediately be in line for a starting job should he beat out Tiller. And Garnett is a clear upgrade over any other depth guards San Francisco currently has on its roster.

So maybe the 49ers take a shot at Garnett in Round 2. Doing so would help the offense get stronger in the trenches — something we haven’t seen since the recent 49ers glory years of not so long ago.

And yet San Francisco may wait until subsequent rounds to find some “hidden gem” talent. There may be another Brown-like player out there — someone who may be raw, but promising. Boise State guard Rees Odhiambo fits that bill.

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Regardless, it’s worth stating the O-line will be the crucial element upon which the 49ers offense hinges in 2016. Making it stronger, especially at guard, will go a long way in turning this franchise around.

The only question is how the team goes about doing so.

Next: Part 3 of Niner Noise's NFL.com 49ers Draft Needs: Offensive Tackle

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.