49ers 2020 NFL Draft: 3 top needs after start of free agency
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Offensive Line
Projected Starters: Joe Staley, Laken Tomlinson, Weston Richburg, Daniel Brunskill, Mike McGlinchey
The 49ers elected to part ways with journeyman offensive lineman Mike Person, subsequently inking Tom Compton on a free-agent deal.
But the starting job at right guard seems to be Daniel Brunskill‘s to lose. After all, when Person was dealing with a neck injury late in the regular season last year, Brunskill was the one chosen to fill in. And he did so adequately enough.
Still, the offensive line surpasses any team need to replace DeForest Buckner as there’s far fewer likable reserve options behind the proposed starting cast. This is probably why the Niners brought back swing tackle Shon Coleman on a one-year deal, although he missed all of 2019 with an ankle injury.
Center Weston Richburg is coming back from injury, too.
Competition at right guard could still be up in the air, but the long-term worries have to focus on veteran left tackle Joe Staley, who’ll turn 36 years old this summer. While he hasn’t shown any intentions of retiring, the need to find a likable replacement has to be high on San Francisco’s list of plans.
Brunskill is a candidate, yes. But that opens up a void, either at guard or as a key reserve.
The 2020 NFL Draft is awfully top-heavy along the O-line, and there are far more tackle options than interior linemen available.