49ers depth chart: 4 players who benefit from no preseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers Offensive Lineman Daniel Brunskill
Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill is likely a shoo-in to make the 53-man roster this season, if for nothing else than the versatility he displayed last year starting at both tackle spots and at right guard in the wake of injuries to San Francisco’s starters at each position.
Brunskill’s 73.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade certainly helps a lot, too.
What role Brunskill winds up assuming, however, is still yet to be determined. He’s in line to secure the starting right guard spot in the wake of the Niners parting ways with their former starter there, Mike Person, during the offseason. Yet the 49ers also brought aboard former New York Jets guard Tom Compton as a free agent to compete with Brunskill, potentially securing the starting role.
Compton has experience in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, too, stemming from time together in Washington and, most recently, with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.
Yet Compton won’t be receiving those in-game reps anymore, meaning Brunskill will have much more recent experience operating in Shanahan’s complex system, as well as that needed chemistry with his fellow San Francisco linemates — inherently important for this particular unit.
As such, Brunskill can feel pretty good about winning this competition outright, since he won’t have to worry about those NFL preseason reps now and Compton potentially outshining him there.