San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 3 offensive needs ahead of NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Offensive Line
On the surface, it looks as if the 49ers have four of their five starting positions along the offensive line set, the only question being who winds up starting at right guard in the wake of the team letting veteran lineman Mike Person go.
Despite inking free-agent guard Tom Compton in free agency, the likelihood seems to be offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill winds up being the favorite to replace Person in the starting lineup.
But that doesn’t do much to alleviate some serious long-term needs along the O-line.
Left tackle Joe Staley will turn 36 years old before the start of the 2020 season, and each passing year puts an emphasis on the fact he’ll retire sooner than later. San Francisco could eventually slide right tackle Mike McGlinchey into Staley’s spot when that time comes, or potentially look at Brunskill as a long-term option, too.
Either way, Staley’s inevitable departure will open up a void the Niners will want to fill sooner than later.
In 2018, the 49ers made an out-of-the-box move by grabbing McGlinchey with their first pick in that year’s draft. While it doesn’t seem highly probable this will be the case again in 2020, there’s always a dark-horse chance San Francisco repeats this effort again in this year’s draft and restocks the O-line first before many other positions of need.