San Francisco 49ers: Identifying the 5 best players in 2017 so far
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Right Tackle Trent Brown
The 49ers offensive line has had its share of problems this season, but at least the tackle positions have been solid enough.
A lot of this falls on third-year pro Trent Brown, whom Denver Broncos EDGE Von Miller tabbed as “the best right tackle in the NFL.”
The 6-foot-9, 376-pound Brown came with concerns regarding his fit within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme. His run blocking hasn’t been great, but there’s little doubt he’s among the better pass blockers in the league right now.
Brown has given up just one sack this season, and his 97.1 pass-blocking efficiency rating ranks fifth among all offensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus. That’s ahead of upper-echelon tackles like the Minnesota Vikings’ Mike Remmers and Washington Redskins’ Trent Williams.
Considering Brown is only 24 years old, it might be in the Niners’ interests to extend him before he hits the open market and likely commands a hefty free-agent deal somewhere else.