San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 players to watch for the rest of the season

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Since 2018 is looking like a lost season for the San Francisco 49ers, it is time to start moving on. Niner Noise looks at the top players to watch for the rest of 2018.

Last Sunday’s 28-18 home loss to the lowly Arizona Cardinals all but confirmed that the 2018 San Francisco 49ers season would be a lost one.

Nobody likes to hear this, especially this early into the season, but it is time to move on and look to the future. This 49ers team probably won’t win a lot of games, but there are a lot of young players on this squad that will be crucial to this team’s future success — or failure.

The rest of the season will be perfect to evaluate these young players on how they perform on the field and how they lead this team through many tough inevitable losses.

Here are these five players who can either make or break this team’s future.

SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 09: Mike McGlinchey #69 of the San Francisco 49ers pass protects against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi’s Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Offensive Tackle Mike McGlinchey

First-round rookie offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey is living up to the hype.

His Pro Football Focus grade is a 76.9, which puts him as the ninth-best offensive tackle in the league. His 86.4 run-blocking grade is the best in the league among offensive tackles.

People wanted a defensive back, like Derwin James or Minkah Fitzpatrick, in the first round. But McGlinchey has proved to be the right pick for the team.

Let’s hope that McGlinchey can continue to fare well against edge defenders for the rest of the season, as legendary left tackle Joe Staley will most likely be retiring soon. The rookie may merely be at right tackle now, but expect to see him anchoring and leading the offensive line for years to come.