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San Francisco 49ers: 10 players who have a lot to prove in 2019

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WI – JANUARY 8: Weston Richburg #70 of the New York Giants sits on the sideline in the third quarter during the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WI – JANUARY 8: Weston Richburg #70 of the New York Giants sits on the sideline in the third quarter during the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Center Weston Richburg

A number of players from the 49ers’ 2018 roster will look to have bounce-back campaigns this upcoming season.

One of those is center Weston Richburg, who became one of the league’s highest-paid interior linemen a year ago when he inked a five-year, $47.5 million contract that offseason.

The problem, however, is Richburg didn’t exactly live up to those contract numbers. According to Pro Football Focus, Richburg’s overall grade hit a career low at 51.9, which put him 33rd among 38 qualifiers at this position.

Not exactly the kind of return for which the Niners were hoping.

Centers and tackles are crucially more important for Kyle Shanahan’s offensive blocking system, meaning Richburg will need to bounce back from his 2018 efforts in a big way. If there’s good news here, however, it might be the fact Richburg was dealing with a season-long knee injury, which required surgery during the offseason.

That might hinder his availability for Week 1, yet one can hope for the kind of production Richburg displayed before signing on with San Francisco.