Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Progress-report grades for each position a quarter through 2017

By Peter Panacy

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers walks on the field during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers walks on the field during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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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)
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) /

Offensive Line

The 49ers offensive line was pretty bad in 2016. And despite only a handful of changes up front this season, the group has shown some moderate improvement.

For example, Football Outsiders ranked the Niners O-line 30th in pass protection last year and dead last in run blocking. Over the first three weeks of 2017, the O-line was ranked 28th and seventh in each respective category.

That’s better, especially supporting the run.

Swapping out left guard Zane Beadles for recently acquired former first-round pick, Laken Tomlinson, was the right move. And it’s nice to see right tackle Trent Brown develop into a worthy piece, especially after some question marks about his scheme fit earlier this offseason.

What the 49ers Are Doing Well

San Francisco is averaging 4.4 yards per attempt on the ground — 10th best in the NFL — and a lot of that has to do with the players up front.

Both tackles Brown and Joe Staley have Pro Football Focus overall grades of 80-plus, which is also a great sign. Effective bookend play is critical in today’s NFL, especially in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme.

What Needs Improvement

While the tackle play has been solid, the interior O-line positions have been questionable at best.

Tomlinson is an improvement over Beadles, but only slightly. The former has a PFF grade of 39.4, whereas Beadles’ was 23.1. It’s not a massive upgrade, especially considering Tomlinson has allowed seven total pressures over three games.

Center Daniel Kilgore has also given up six pressures en route to a 32.7 overall PFF grade on the year — a bit of a surprise, considering Kilgore beat out 2016 Pro Bowl center Jeremy Zuttah in training camp.

With second-year pro Joshua Garnett (knee) out for the year, this is likely the group head coach Kyle Shanahan will have to live with.

It’s far from perfect, and the Niners are going to have to find some improvements at some point in 2018.

Grade: C