Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 53-man roster after 2020 NFL Draft

By Robert Morrison

Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt #29 and free safety Jimmie Ward #20 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt #29 and free safety Jimmie Ward #20 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Mike McGlinchey, 49ers
Mike McGlinchey #69 San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

Offensive Lineman (9)

Trent Williams

Laken Tomlinson

Weston Richburg

Daniel Brunskill

Mike McGlinchey

Justin Skule

Colton McKivitz

Ben Garland

Shon Coleman

The draft-day trade for former Washington Redskins left tackle Trent Williams and the sad announcement of Joe Staley‘s retirement actually ended up making this group a fairly easy one to predict at this point.

To my mind, the starting lineup is essentially locked into place: Williams, left guard Laken Tomlinson, center Weston Richburg, right guard Daniel Brunskill and right tackle Mike McGlinchey is pretty no-brainer group.

With Brunskill stepping up as a starter after serving as the team’s swing lineman in 2019, that leaves the 49ers with two things to consider.

First, they need backup tackles, and the new CBA allows them to not have to settle for a swing player who can step in at either position but instead set up a direct backup for each of Williams and McGlinchey.

At this juncture, it makes sense to pencil in the second-year tackle as the right tackle understudy, with veteran Shon Coleman serving as Williams’ backup. Rookie fifth-round pick Colton McKivitz out of West Virginia could also slide into either tackle spot in a pinch, but it feels more likely he’ll be an interior option at the NFL level.

That leaves the rookie and veteran interior swingman Ben Garland as your final options to fill out the offensive line roster, with Garland serving as the direct backup for Richburg to anchor the line. Garland offers more than free agent Tom Compton, so Garland gets the final nod here.