Niner Noise
FanSided

5 players 49ers cannot afford to lose this season

By Akshaj Dwivedula

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass Los Angeles Rams during the first 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: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Joe Staley #74 of the San Francisco 49ers runs on to the field prior to playing the New York Giants in their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Joe Staley #74 of the San Francisco 49ers runs on to the field prior to playing the New York Giants in their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Joe Staley

Two offensive linemen? How bad is the 49ers offensive line? The actual starting lineup is quite decent; it’s just the people behind them.

But Joe Staley would be on this list no matter who was backing him up. He was exceptional last year, ranking as the second best tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He allowed only 24 pressures the entire year, and was the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL.

Basically, Staley was a beast.

All these stats are only amplified when you do look at who the 49ers have backing him up. If you thought the center position was rough, well, this isn’t going to be pretty. The Nines have Garry Gilliam and Pace Murphy as the primary backups. If you know who these two are, it’s probably already a bad thing.

Gilliam, from 2015 through 2016, allowed 101 pressures. Compare that to 24 for just one year. Gilliam was graded at 68.5 by Pro Football Focus, over 19 points worse than Staley. Murphy was a practice squad player last season who showed has shown little to nothing over the year.

Finally, Staley ranks this high because of the position he plays. Left tackle is arguably the most important position on the offense other than the QB. Because of his positional value, losing Staley would be worse than losing Richburg, even if Richburg’s backup plays worse than Staley’s.

Despite how talented Staley is, his injury would never be as bad as this next player’s.