SF 49ers: Ranking 5 best trades under John Lynch

No. 3: SF 49ers land offensive guard Laken Tomlinson

When the SF 49ers’ trade for former Detroit Lions offensive guard Laken Tomlinson was announced, it didn’t cause many people to react, and for good reason. Though Tomlinson was a former first-round pick, when traded, he had become a bench player, per ESPN’s report of the trade.

John Lynch paid a fifth-round pick to find out if he could be anything more.

The answer was a resounding yes. Is Tomlinson the best left guard in the world? No. But he plays at an average to above-average level consistently and does exactly what San Francisco would want from him. He’s also quite cost-effective.

For the price of a fifth-round pick, the Niners got a solid offensive lineman who filled what was a major hole on the roster. And Tomlinson has been overly reliable, too, missing just one start in his four-year tenure with the team.

That’s a smart trade by Lynch and Co.