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49ers’ Laken Tomlinson now a favorite to win starting guard job after contract extension

By Peter Panacy

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) /
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The San Francisco 49ers signed offensive guard Laken Tomlinson to a three-year extension worth as much as $18 million, guaranteeing he’ll start at one of the two open guard spots in 2018.

Offensive guard was one of the many questions the San Francisco 49ers had to face in 2018.

But after inking fourth-year veteran Laken Tomlinson to a three-year extension on Friday, it appears at least one of those two spots has been shored up for certain.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo was first to report the news, and the Niners website announced it shortly thereafter.

“Laken is a very talented player who has improved consistently since joining the team one week before last year’s season opener,” general manager John Lynch noted in the team’s press release. “This offseason, his hard work and dedication paid off as he continued to progress and performed at a high level. We were confident we could work out a contract extension with Laken and we are fired up to get that done before training camp.”

Tomlinson’s tenure with San Francisco didn’t get off to the best of starts. Shortly after fellow guard Joshua Garnett went down with a season-ending knee injury in 2017, the 49ers made a move to acquire the underperforming Tomlinson from the Detroit Lions.

Tomlinson’s season didn’t start off particularly well, although Pro Football Focus awarded him with a respectable 70.7 overall grade last year.

More importantly, Tomlinson appeared to thrive late in the year with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center.

Laken Tomlinson Will Start for the 49ers, but Who Else?

Tomlinson’s $10 million in guarantees assures he’ll be a starter this upcoming season. Barring injury, of course.

Meanwhile, Garnett and offseason pickup Jonathan Cooper are vying for the other open guard spot, along with unheralded free-agent pickup Mike Person. Cooper’s one-year deal is worth up to $4.86 million, meaning he’s earning starter’s money in 2018.

All this spells bad news for Garnett, who was asked to reshape his body to be a better fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking system.

Garnett primarily played in man-gap and power-run schemes at Stanford, and there have been questions about his fit with the 49ers ever since he was drafted in Round 1 back in 2016. And with Tomlinson’s new deal, it’s looking as if the Niners aren’t too inclined to make Garnett a big part of their future.

Next: 5 49ers position battles to watch in training camp

All this could change when the pads come on in training camp next month. For now, though, Tomlinson is a surefire starter at guard. Garnett appears to be the player on the outside, looking in.