49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Offensive guard Joshua Garnett
By Peter Panacy
After missing all of 2017 with a knee injury, San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett will be entering a pivotal campaign in 2018. Niner Noise’s “Who Is?” series takes a look at what’s on the table this season.
2018 is going to be something of a make-or-break season for San Francisco 49ers offensive guard Joshua Garnett who, shortly after the new regime of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over, suffered a training camp knee injury that all but ended his 2017 campaign.
Garnett’s 2016 rookie season wasn’t particularly inspiring. The No. 28 overall pick from that year’s NFL Draft ended up with a lowly 39.6 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus, allowing three sacks and 38 total pressures in the process.
His injury forced the Niners’ hand early in 2017. San Francisco then elected to trade for former Detroit Lions guard Laken Tomlinson, who largely held the line at left guard a season ago.
Tomlinson, Garnett and 2018 offseason pickup, Jonathan Cooper, now find themselves in a three-way battle for the two starting guard positions entering 2018. There’s a good chance Garnett wins a spot outright.
Yet it’s just as plausible he finds himself relegated to a backup role too.
What will Garnett have to do to solidify himself as a bona fide starter this season? Are there reasons to assume he’ll live up to his first-round draft status? Or are we looking at another bust from the era under former GM Trent Baalke?
Let’s dive into the questions.
Why Joshua Garnett Improves in 2018
One of the knocks against Garnett when he came out in the 2016 draft was his problems with pass protection.
The aforementioned PFF numbers illustrate this. Garnett also operated in Stanford’s power-run scheme, yet the guard has worked multiple seasons now in a zone-style offense. This requires more pulling, ability to block in space and above-average athleticism.
While no one questions Garnett’s strength, his weight could be an issue.
Garnett spent much of his 2017 campaign reshaping his body, getting down from a listed 325 pounds to 302 — a video he posted on his Twitter account. This should help with the athletic standpoint, giving Garnett an edge to work more quickly and operate effectively in space.
Plus, he’ll now have two seasons (well, technically, a full year plus a training camp) operating in a zone scheme.
More importantly, the three-way player competition should serve as a bit of motivation. This is something different compared to last year, where Garnett was essentially handed a starting job in OTAs.
Why He Regresses
Garnett’s 2017 injury likely stunted his development. It didn’t help the 49ers were onto their second head coach in as many years. And while the Niners finally have continuity with Shanahan, Garnett still carries the stigma of being associated with the previous regime.
This could lead to Garnett getting fewer first-team reps this offseason. With Cooper still recovering from offseason MCL surgery, Garnett has been working with the first-team unit.
San Francisco 49ers
That’s good. But early results from OTAs haven’t been great. And, as the San Jose Mercury News‘ Cam Inman reported, Garnett’s weight loss doesn’t quite appear to be as significant as the team would have liked.
It’s an issue that could cause Garnett to lose favor with the coaching staff. Cooper, when healthy, is far more athletic than Garnett. And Tomlinson, who struggled in the first half last year, managed to play notably well in the second half. He has on-field understanding of Shanahan’s offense too, whereas Garnett’s is limited.
Projected Role with the 49ers in 2018
It’s hard to say at this point. Garnett getting first-team reps in OTAs is a good sign, but the Niners don’t exactly have a lot of other options.
Not experienced veterans at least.
On one hand, it’s impossible to overlook Garnett winning the Outland Trophy his final collegiate year — awarded to the best interior lineman in college football — and the plus abilities one should associate with the award.
Yet it all hasn’t exactly carried over to the pro level. That’s where San Francisco will want to see the improvements.
If the season started tomorrow, Garnett would be slated for right guard duties. Cooper would wind up being the team’s primary interior backup, with Tomlinson starting on the left side.
But there’s plenty of time between now and Week 1, and Garnett could just as easily slide out of favor.
Next: 49ers' biggest winners & losers from OTAs so far
Should that happen, one might see the Niners look beyond Garnett’s tenure with the team. Simply put, he’s in a make-or-break year.