49ers offensive line has shown notable improvement over 2016 group

While the San Francisco 49ers offensive line this season has been far from perfect, there are a number of areas in which the group is much better than that of 2016.

Yes, the San Francisco 49ers are 0-4. And, yes, the offensive line is probably going to be a major area of focus for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan during the 2018 offseason.

But if we’re doing comparisons between the current crop and last year’s group, it’s worth pointing out there are some worthwhile areas of improvement.

Sure, it’s still early. Four weeks of NFL action isn’t a big sample size. But factor this — the Niners have faced four relatively tough defenses over the first quarter of 2017. The Carolina Panthers defense is ranked No. 4, and most NFC West fans know how good the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals’ respective defenses are as well.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Keeping these defenses from mauling the Niners offense has been the job of the O-line, of course. And this group has been performing much better than what was seen during San Francisco’s 2-14 campaign from a year ago.

For reference, Football Outsiders ranked the 49ers O-line 30th in pass protection a year ago and dead last in run support.

And while there was some attrition, the primary starting cast consisted of tackles Joe Staley and Trent Brown, guards Zane Beadles and Joshua Garnett and center Daniel Kilgore.

Garnett (knee) is out for the season, and Beadles managed to see just one start in 2017 before giving way to San Francisco’s trade pickup, Laken Tomlinson.

Vastly improved? Perhaps not. But let’s take a look at the areas in which San Francisco’s O-line is much better.

Pass Blocking

Football Outsiders hasn’t been too kind to San Francisco’s pass-blocking efforts through four weeks, ranking this unit 28th with an adjusted sack rate of 10.5 percent (the higher, the worse).

But Pro Football Focus has been very kind in this regard, ranking the Niners at No. 10 in pass-blocking efficiency through four weeks.

The top pass blocking offensive lines in the NFLhttps://t.co/ntoZA9I1jH pic.twitter.com/a9aTmqLScx
— PFF (@PFF) October 3, 2017

Here’s what PFF had to say:

"The play of RT Trent Brown in particular has been a revelation for the 49ers so far this season. As a unit this line has surrendered four sacks and 41 total pressures pass blocking for 163 snaps, but Brown is the league’s fourth-ranked tackle with an overall PFF grade of 85.7."

Right tackle Trent Brown has certainly been a promising development. San Francisco’s seventh-round pick from the 2015 NFL Draft has lessened the need for Lynch to worry about making an upgrade here.

And if things go well enough, Brown might be the suitable long-term replacement for the aging veteran, Joe Staley.

Brown has allowed just one sack and five total pressures, per PFF, thus far.

Noted Improvement in 49ers Run Support

Despite ranking fourth in the league in rushing, the 2016 49ers had one of the worst run-blocking O-lines in the NFL.

Well, the worst, according to Football Outsiders, remember?

The only reason the Niners ranked so high in rushing was due to the frequency at which former head coach Chip Kelly ran the ball — 458 times, fifth most.

Through four weeks in 2017, though, Football Outsiders now has San Francisco at No. 7 based off their adjusted-line-yards metric (4.42 yards), which assigns rushing yards to specific responsibilities for the O-line.

SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 17: Trent Brown #77 of the San Francisco 49ers stands behind his teammates on the sidelines during the national anthem before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

From dead last to seventh. Not bad.

A big reason for this has been Brown’s maturation. Not known for being great in run support, Brown currently holds an 82.8 run-blocking PFF grade through Week 4. In comparison, Brown’s pass-blocking grade a year ago was 39.0.

This has certainly helped take pressure off San Francisco’s running game, allowing Shanahan to employ runs to either side of the field in his outside-zone scheme.

Work to Be Done

Through four games, the Niners have flashed some noted improvements along the O-line.

But the interior positions leave plenty to be desired, as the PFF grades show below:

49ers PFF Oline /

Tomlinson has been only slightly better than Beadles at left guard, and Kilgore’s 32.7 grade is hard to fathom after coming off a 72.8 PFF grade a season ago.

Perhaps both are still adjusting to Shanahan’s blocking scheme, but that only goes so far.

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It’s likely the 49ers address some of their O-line woes in free agency or the NFL Draft in 2018 — an attempt to get this unit up to par with Shanahan’s offense.

And they’ll look to find long-term options to replace Staley too, although that might be a concern Lynch chooses to address further down the line.

Next: 49ers stock report after Week 4 loss to Cardinals

Regardless, it’s good to know San Francisco is making some decent improvements within a unit that was widely regarded as one of the worst just a season ago.