SF 49ers: 4 positions needing most attention in 2021
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Position Need No. 3: Offensive Line
Pending Free Agents: Trent Williams, Tom Compton, Tony Bergstrom, Hroniss Grasu, Daniel Brunskill (EFRA), Ben Garland
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco is intent San Francisco won’t move on from its former first-round NFL Draft pick, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, this offseason despite plenty of concerns from the fanbase he’s regressed mightily in 2020.
The assessment makes sense, both in terms of needs at other positions and elsewhere along the offensive line.
Left tackle Trent Williams is the big name here, of course, and the SF 49ers can’t place the franchise tag on him. While him being 33 years old might help in negotiations towards a re-sign deal more favorable to the Niners, retaining Williams isn’t going to be cheap.
While Williams is a priority, one could make the argument the situation along the O-line’s interior is more pressing. Daniel Brunskill, who’ll be back on an exclusive-rights deal in 2021, should be pegged at right guard instead of being asked to fill in at center. But things get trickier when evaluating injured centers Weston Richburg and Ben Garland.
Garland is an unrestricted free agent but a decent backup to Richburg, whose injury history and lofty contract could end up resulting in an offseason cap casualty.
Good thing the 2021 NFL Draft is awfully deep with offensive linemen. San Francisco would be wise to grab at least two to reinforce this depleted unit.