Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Early look at 10 players on the 2018 roster bubble

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers follows his blocker Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers as he rushes for a gain against Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers follows his blocker Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers as he rushes for a gain against Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Offensive Guard Laken Tomlinson

Losing second-year guard Joshua Garnett to a season-ending knee injury during training camp prompted the 49ers to make a move prior to the start of the regular season.

The team wasn’t comfortable starting their own, Zane Beadles, and the Niners traded with the Detroit Lions for former first-round draftee, Laken Tomlinson.

Tomlinson fell out of favor in Detroit fairly quickly. And after a few games in a 49ers uniform, it was pretty clear why. He was one of the major liabilities in what proved to be a very weak interior along the team’s offensive line.

Overall, Tomlinson finished with a 70.7 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s not bad, taking the entirety of 2017 into account. But when his midseason grades were hovering around the 40 mark, one could see why he was such a problem up front.

On a good note, Tomlinson finished the year on a strong note, finishing with an 87.6 game grade, per PFF, against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.

That works in his favor for the upcoming year. But with Garnett’s pending return, paired with some likely free-agent and NFL Draft moves, Tomlinson could easily be an odd man out.