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San Francisco 49ers: Who is offensive guard Joshua Garnett?

By Peter Panacy

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; 49ers offensive guard Joshua Garnett (65) looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; 49ers offensive guard Joshua Garnett (65) looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Niner Noise rolls along with our “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players in 2017, and this article takes a look at second-year offensive guard Joshua Garnett and whether or not he’ll improve this season.

Former San Francisco 49ers’ first-round draft pick Joshua Garnett’s rookie season may not be the benchmark the former Stanford prospect wants to set heading into 2017.

Garnett, for whom the Niners traded back into Round 1 last year, didn’t even start right away in the regular season. Heck, he was one of only two first-round picks not even active for Week 1 (Jared Goff).

He did manage to get into the mix last year, playing in 15 games and starting in 11 of them.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

The results were mixed at best.

According to Pro Football Focus, Garnett ended up with a 42.4 overall grade on the year — 40.4 in pass protection and 42.4 in run blocking.

These aren’t exactly eye-popping grades, obviously. And the lack of adequate run-blocking abilities was a bit concerning, especially considering this was Garnett’s forte in college.

Spending almost all of his time at right guard in 2016 — the easier of the two sides — the Niners are currently experimenting with Garnett shifting back over to the left, which is where he played in college mostly.

While last year’s efforts weren’t particularly great, one should hope Garnett’s second year at the pro level is substantially better.

Why He’ll Improve

“I think Josh is in a great place physically, mentally and emotionally,” Garnett’s former head coach at Stanford, David Shaw, said (h/t Joe Fann of 49ers.com). “I think he’s a good fit for what the offense is going to become with coach (Kyle) Shanahan. I’m excited.

“I don’t think it’s going to be too far down the road where Josh is one of those guys who we’re talking about going to the Pro Bowl.”

Indeed, a player jump between years one and two can be massive. And Shaw’s comments indicate Garnett may work out well with head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme.

Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (65) runs drills during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (65) runs drills during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

While Garnett is primarily known as a power blocker, he did have experience working zone schemes in college — notably to create holes for then-teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey.

And Garnett was the 2016 Outland Trophy recipient — awarded to the best collegiate interior lineman in the country — for a number of reasons. One can’t think that level of promise will simply go away so quickly.

Why He’ll Regress

Garnett’s 6-foot-4, 312-pound frame isn’t ideally built for a zone-blocking scheme. While he’s fairly nimble on his feet, Garnett can often try to use his physicality over his footwork.

And this can lead to over-engaging with defenders instead of providing a bunch and chip at the next level.

This can be evidenced on this inside-zone run here from last season (Garnett is No. 65):

Outside-zone runs will look to pin defenders towards the center of the field away from the sidelines, essentially creating outside lanes. If Garnett stays at right guard, his right-side support will be Trent Brown, who isn’t particularly great in run support.

Perhaps this is the reason San Francisco is considering moving Garnett to the left side, where veteran left tackle Joe Staley can provide better assistance.

What to Expect in 2017

San Francisco’s offensive line is nowhere near close to set for 2017, and Garnett is just one of a number of position battles this offseason.

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Garnett, Brandon Fusco and Zane Beadles are just some of the O-linemen competing for a starting job in 2017. It’s likely Garnett is a favorite to start this year, as the 49ers are probably nowhere near to giving up on their first-round investment from the 2016 NFL Draft.

One should expect Garnett to show some solid improvement in his run-blocking abilities, which is where he thrives. Pass protection will probably take a little more work. He won’t be a finished product here for the next few seasons, most likely.

Next: 5 potential breakout players for the 49ers in 2017

Still, Garnett has most of the tools to suggest a substantial leap in year two. And if he can live up to expectation, he may wind up being one of the more serviceable linemen for San Francisco for quite some time.