San Francisco 49ers: Ranking top 10 offensive lineman in franchise history

Niner Noise ranks out the 49ers’ all-time best offensive linemen in franchise history.

The San Francisco 49ers said farewell to one of the franchise’s all-time best and most favorite players, left tackle Joe Staley, entering the 2020 season. The former first-round NFL Draft pick from 2007 was a mainstay for the franchise for years and deserves all the accolades and praise showered upon him as a Niners forever great.

It’s only a shame San Francisco wasn’t able to get Staley a Super Bowl ring during his tenure.

The big-name players and playmakers, especially quarterbacks and wide receivers, typically get all the love. And yet it’s so easy to forget one of the most crucial position groups in football: the offensive line.

Thankfully, the Niners have been graced with a number of tremendous offensive linemen over their storied history, Staley just headlining a long and distinguished line. When he departed, San Francisco managed to somehow find an upgrade, who'll also grace this list of all-time 49ers greats.

Without strong offensive linemen, the Niners wouldn’t have been quite the same as they were in the 1980s, 1990s and for varying parts of the 2010s when San Francisco’s O-line was among the best in the NFL.

So let’s take a look back at the 10 best 49ers offensive linemen in franchise history and rank them from pretty darn good to the best.

Our rating criteria is pretty simple, and here’s what Niner Noise will use for its evaluation:

• Tenure with the 49ers (the longer, the better)
• Durability
• Reputation
• Accolades (Super Bowls, Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections)

There are more than just 10 great Niners O-linemen though, so let’s kick things off with our honorable mention list.

Honorable mentions

Yes, there are more than just a handful of notable Niners offensive linemen to cram into one list. So, naturally, we have to come up with an honorable mentions group, right?

Here are a few players who didn’t quite make the cut.

Guard Kevin Gogan (1997-1998)

Former NFL guard Kevin Gogan managed just two seasons with the 49ers, 1997 and 1998, but managed to make the Pro Bowl each one of those years.

And it helps he was on the field when Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young found Terrell Owens for what became known as “The Catch II” in the thrilling 1999 Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Center Fred Quillan (1978-1987)

Former NFL center Fred Quillan spent all 10 years of his pro career with the 49ers and managed to be on San Francisco’s Super Bowl-winning teams in 1981 and 1984.

During his impressive stretch, the former seventh-round draftee managed two Pro Bowl selections: 1984 and 1985.

Guard Woody Peoples (1968-1977)

Most of the Niners teams in the 1970s were pretty bad, although right guard Woody Peoples wasn’t one of the reasons.

From 1969 through 1977, Peoples anchored the right guard spot through what was a turbulent period in San Francisco history. He left the team, following two Pro Bowl selections, in 1977. And it’s a shame he was out of the league before the Niners pulled off their first Super Bowl win after 1981.

Tackle Harris Barton (1987-1996)

Former San Francisco tackle Harris Barton nearly makes the cut into the top 10 but falls just short.

During his 10-year career, entirely with the 49ers, Barton appeared in just one Pro Bowl but managed two First-Team All-Pro nods during his impressive career — one which spanned 134 starts after being drafted in Round 1 of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Barton can also claim three Super Bowl rings to his credit. Not bad at all.

Center Jeremy Newberry (1999-2005)

Center Jeremy Newberry is a link to the last time San Francisco was consistently good before the dark years of the mid 2000s. In fact, Newberry was one of many veterans the 49ers had to part ways with after the 2005 season, although an injury-plagued 2004 campaign probably didn’t help.

The former second-round pick of the Niners in 1998 spent his 2006 season with the Oakland Raiders before ending his pro career with the San Diego Chargers a year later.

Now, let's get onto the true 10 best.

10 best offensive linemen in 49ers history

No. 10: Center/Guard Jesse Sapolu (1983-1997)

How can one make a 49ers all-time offensive line list without including one of the longest-tenured Niners in franchise history?

And one with four Super Bowl rings to his credit, too.

The versatile and illustrious Jesse Sapolu has to be considered one of the most beloved Niners of all time. After finding his way to San Francisco in 1983 in Round 11 of that year's draft, Sapolu in 1987 after some brief stints on the team’s active roster.

Sapolu never looked back and managed to record two Pro Bowl nominations during his stellar 13-year career.

What makes the Samoa native’s story even more special was he played his entire career with a dangerous heart condition that could have ended his career, and life, at any moment.

No. 9: Guard Mike Iupati (2010-2014)

Remember those days in the early 2010s when the Niners offensive line was one of the best mauling units in the entire NFL?

Well, a big part of that during the early 2010s was due to San Francisco selecting offensive guard Mike Iupati 17th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Iupati was a first-year starter for the 49ers that year and missed only five games over his five-year career in San Francisco. One could argue his last season with the Niners, 2014, wasn’t nearly as good as previous ones. Although injuries played a role, Iupati still managed a Pro Bowl nomination that year.

It was one of three he earned with San Francisco before leaving via free agency to join the Arizona Cardinals in 2015.

No. 8: Guard Howard Mudd (1964-1969)

You’ll have to dust off your 49ers history books a bit to recall former offensive guard Howard Mudd.

Mudd’s six-year tenure with the Niners might be a little shorter than the other guys on this list. But it was no less impressive. After being drafted in the ninth round of the 1964 NFL Draft, Mudd was able to emerge as a full-time starter the following season.

In 1966, Mudd earned the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl nods and even a first-team All-Pro selection in 1968.

And Mudd never missed a game over that entire stretch.

No. 7: Guard/Center Randy Cross (1976-1988)

Few players could have had a more storybook career than former 49ers guard/center Randy Cross.

Drafted in Round 2 of the 1976 NFL Draft, back when the Niners were terrible, Cross would eventually become a critical member of former head coach Bill Walsh’s standout offensive line during the 1981 season, the year which resulted in San Francisco’s first Super Bowl victory.

Cross made it as a Pro Bowler that year, the first of three selections in his 13-year career.

On top of that, Cross earned three Super Bowl rings and was also selected to both UCLA and the College Football Hall of Fame for his collegiate efforts.

And he remains a direct link to San Francisco’s dynasty years of the 1980s.

No. 6: Center/Guard Bruce Bosley (1956-1968)

Here’s an interesting note: Bruce Bosley actually started out with the 49ers as a defensive end before making the full-time switch to the offensive line in 1958.

Entrenched as a guard that season, Bosley went onto his first Pro Bowl two years later with the Niners and managed three more after shifting to center in 1962.

The switch helped Bosley earn three more Pro Bowl nods over his impressive 13-year career in San Francisco in which he appeared in 163 games.

Bosley passed away in 1995 at the age of 65 in San Francisco but remains one of the key figureheads of the 49ers’ storybook past.

No. 5: Guard Guy McIntyre (1984-1993)

It’s impossible to envision an all-time 49ers offensive line without placing Guy McIntyre at the left guard position.

McIntyre’s pro career got off to a bit of a slow start, even though he was with the Super Bowl-winning Niners in 1984. A third-round draft pick that year, McIntyre had to wait until the 1988 season before securing a starting role.

And he never looked back.

During his 10-year stretch with the Niners, McIntyre managed to start 97 games en route to five Pro Bowls and pulling in three Super Bowl rings before leaving San Francisco in 1994 to join the Green Bay Packers.

No. 4: Center Forrest Blue (1968-1974)

The best center to ever suit up for the 49ers graced the team back when it was entering some tough times in the mid 1970s.

Yet center Forrest Blue didn’t have to worry about being one of the weak spots on San Francisco’s roster. If anything, Blue was a mainstay for seven years from his first-round drafting in 1968 through the 1974 season.

That tenure rewarded Blue with four Pro Bowl selections and twice being named a First-Team All-Pro.

Blue went on to spend four more years with the Baltimore Colts before ending his career in 1978.

No. 3: Tackle Trent Williams (2020-present)

Staley's shocking retirement paralleled one of the greatest heists in 49ers history when they traded for perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams from the Washington Redskins for a pair of mid-round draft picks.

In doing so, the Niners actually upgraded over Staley.

Williams, frequently ranked as the pound-for-pound best player in the NFL, actually got better in the red and gold, going from a regular Pro Bowler to a yearly first-team All-Pro, an honor he achieved in three of his first four years with San Francisco while also maintaining his year-to-year Pro Bowl status.

Despite approaching the twilight of his Hall of Fame-caliber career, Williams is showing zero signs of slowing down.

No. 2: Tackle Joe Staley (2007-2019)

San Francisco’s second-best offensive lineman sure had himself a storied career, and he edges out Williams here based solely on his longevity to the franchise.

Staley ended up being selected by the Niners at No. 28 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and has remained a figurehead along the line ever since.

Initially, Staley was slated at the easier right tackle position but managed to start all 16 games of his rookie season. A year later, he was at the important left tackle spot, a position he held all the way up until his retirement following the 49ers’ 2019 Super Bowl run.

And Staley didn’t leave without plenty of great moments, either.

“You have to do what plays to your strengths,” Staley once said, via the team’s website. “My strength has always been being quick, athletic and being able to move well. I don’t want to sacrifice that just to be a certain size.”

That mindset certainly helped Staley make it to the Pro Bowl six times over his illustrious career.

And yet not even his accolades make him the best.

No. 1: Tackle Bob St. Clair (1953-1963)

Neither Staley nor Williams could get the best of offensive tackle Bob St. Clair on this list, who suited up for the Niners from 1953 through 1963 and even way back when the team was at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

Simply put, Staley could eventually find his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Williams will eventually be there.

St. Clair is a Hall of Famer, the only such 49ers player to date.

St. Clair did more than just provide excellent protection along the offensive line. He’d even double on goal-line defense and even managed to return kicks in 1963 on special teams.

Although one can easily doubt it was drawn up that way.

St. Clair was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 after posting an 11-year career in which he played in 119 games. Sadly, St. Clair passed away in 2015 at the age of 84.

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