3 positional needs the 49ers may have to bypass in the NFL Draft
No. 1: Offensive line
One of the most glaring issues the 49ers had early in the 2017 season was the lack of sufficient offensive line play. While Brian Hoyer did not perform well in any way, shape or form, the line was inadequate.
When rookie C.J. Beathard came in, there was an uptick in play from the position. But Beathard was absolutely pounded during his time at quarterback, highlighted in the Week 9 loss against the Arizona Cardinals in which he was hit 16 times.
Then Jimmy Garoppolo came in. And the line’s woes seemingly disappeared. That was an aspect that stood out to myself the most with No. 10 helming the offense: Garoppolo was barely getting hit while under center.
Garoppolo was hit only 24 times in the five games that he started — Hoyer and Beathard were hit 92 times in the 11 games they played in. That’s a hit rate nearly cut in half (4.5/game versus 8.3/game) with Garoppolo as quarterback.
It’s a testament to the ability of Garoppolo and his quick release.
With Weston Richburg in the mix, San Francisco now has their quarterback of the offensive line. Richburg is quite good at his profession, too.
This might be a good time to remind folks that Weston Richburg has allowed just two sacks in his three seasons playing at center. #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) March 26, 2018
The tackles positions are taken care of right now as well. Left tackle Joe Staley just had one of the best seasons of his illustrious career. Staley was PFF‘s No. 2 overall graded tackle (87.4) and No. 1 graded tackle in run-blocking (87.6).
Right tackle Trent Brown had a fine season himself too. Brown finished as PFF’s No. 21 overall graded tackle (79.3) and No. 8 graded tackle in pass-blocking (84.7).
While the guard position is uncertain in terms of who will start, Joshua Garnett, Zane Beadles and Laken Tomlinson are set to battle it out.
We’ve seen that Garoppolo clearly elevates the play of the offensive line. That is a driving reason why I believe using an early-round pick on an offensive lineman is not ideal. There’s one exception; Norte Dame’s Quenton Nelson. But most likely, Nelson will not be available at the No. 9 slot.
With Garoppolo as the quarterback, the 49ers’ offensive line is substantially better. The need is not as acute as it was once.
Next: 2018 NFL Draft prospect profile: Breaking down Harold Landry’s potential fit with the 49ers
There are certainly more demanding positional needs for San Francisco. Particularly, edge rusher and linebacker top that list.