San Francisco 49ers: 2019 ‘State of the Franchise’ (offensive line)
Niner Noise continues its ‘State of the Franchise’ series with a look at the offensive line, where all five starters have returned but a lot of changes are happening further down the depth chart.
The one question for the San Francisco 49ers on its offensive front is in the trenches. All five starters return, but the question is how well can the backups step up if need be.
The Niners made minor free-agent moves and used a late 2019 NFL Draft pick for the trenches, but otherwise no major investment was made.
In the “State of the Franchise” series, we look at the current state of the 2019 roster as the 49ers get closer to training camp, position by position.
We won’t be doing full player profiles, for those we recommend taking a look at the “Who Is?” series by Niner Noise.
Here’s how the 49ers offensive line looks.
2019 State of the Franchise: Offensive line
Willie Beavers
A former fourth-round draft pick in 2016, Willie Beavers has merely been a journeyman in the NFL in his career. The same will probably apply to his 49ers tenure.
Daniel Brunskill
A former undrafted free agent who signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Daniel Brunskill signed with the San Diego Fleet in the fleeting Alliance of American Football before signing with the 49ers. Brunskill is undersized, so he may struggle to make it in the NFL.
Shon Coleman
Shon Coleman is one of the main backups this season, but wasn’t needed in his first year with the 49ers after being traded for a seventh-round draft choice a year ago.
Coleman has potential and should stay on the roster.
Christian DiLauro
Christian DiLauro was a camp body with the Cleveland Browns last year, and looks like repeating the process in San Francisco.
Ben Garland
Ben Garland is an interesting name, given he played reasonably well in his limited starts with the Atlanta Falcons last season. Pro Football Focus rated Garland as “above average,” with his score of 69.3 the 14th best among guards.
The 49ers don’t have good interior line depth, so Garland could be easily high up on the depth chart and even challenge for a starting job.
Joshua Garnett
Time is running out for Joshua Garnett, with the former first-round draft pick now buried on the depth chart and without a clear way back to a starting role.
Can he be a late bloomer? Garnett had better hope so, or else he won’t be long for the Niners.
Wesley Johnson
Wesley Johnson has potential to make the roster as an experienced backup, but he probably shouldn’t be trusted to be a starter. San Francisco may be better off using a roster spot on a young player with more upside.
Erik Magnuson
He was OK as a backup last year, being pressed into service to start one game. He would be considered a safe choice to remain a backup for the 49ers.
Mike McGlinchey
Mike McGlinchey had a great rookie year after being taken in the first round last season, and looks set to make a big step forward at right tackle in 2019.
McGlinchey looks pretty much locked in at right tackle this season.
Mike Person
Mike Person was almost an afterthought starting on the offensive line last season, and surprised everyone with PFF ranking him the 18th best guard in the competition with a 67.2 grade.
Interior blocking is very important, and Person is the best interior blocker the 49ers possess this season.
Ross Reynolds
Ross Reynolds is an intriguing undrafted free agent out of Iowa, and we’ve talked before about how his potential coupled with the 49ers weak interior line depth could see him shoot up the ranks.
The 49ers have found some gems in the undrafted ranks in the last few seasons, and Reynolds could be the latest player to be a find.
Weston Richburg
There’s no two ways about it, Weston Richburg struggled in his first season as a 49er.
Richburg should have another chance to be the 49ers’ answer at center, but if he fails to impress again, it may be time to consider finding a potential replacement.
Justin Skule:
The only drafted rookie out of the lot, Justin Skule is a sixth-round pick who is a bit raw as a prospect but has untapped potential.
Skule will require some coaching up, but he’ll be stashed low on the depth chart or practice squad and learn under one of the best in…
Joe Staley
One of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, Joe Staley isn’t going anywhere soon after signing a deserved contract extension.
One of the best blindside protectors in the game, he’ll be important for the play of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this season.
Laken Tomlinson
Laken Tomlinson as formerly seen as a first-round bust. But a solid season last year could mean he’s just a late bloomer.
While the jury is out this year, Tomlinson remains the starter at guard for the 49ers and hopefully will continue his solid play.
Najee Toran
Najee Toran was a practice squad player for the 49ers last season, and remains in the hunt to earn himself a roster spot.
It’s unlikely, but he’s stuck with the team for this long, so he could very well surprise this season and make it one step further.
Prediction
The starters will stay the same as last season. Garland, in theory, could challenge for a spot. But it’s more likely the 49ers will want to keep the same five together.
Garland and Magnuson will battle for the interior backup spots, with Reynolds being a dark horse to jump past both on the depth chart.
Next. Predicting 49ers’ offensive line depth chart in 2019. dark
For the tackles, it’s unlikely Skule will be on the outer unless he performs very poorly and Coleman looks like he will be the lead swing tackle.
The big prediction? Garnett finds himself on the chopping block.