Niner Noise
FanSided

SF 49ers: Post-free agency 53-man roster projection

By Robert Morrison

Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers (R) with general manager John Lynch (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers (R) with general manager John Lynch (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Trent Williams, SF 49ers
San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

SF 49ers Offensive Lineman (8)

LT Trent Williams

LG Laken Tomlinson

C Alex Mack

RG Daniel Brunskill

RT Mike McGlinchey

G Colton McKivitz

T Shon Coleman OR Justin Skule

Rookie C/G

At this point, the starters, save for that pesky right guard position, are essentially all but locked in now that San Francisco has agreed to re-sign left tackle Trent Williams to a massive extension and brought in veteran center Alex Mack to replace the carousel of players they used at that position in 2020.

The depth will be the question, as well as just how long Mack will play on his reported three-year contract and whether the team needs to bring in his successor in this year’s draft.

For now, don’t expect the team to give up on second-year guard Colton McKivitz who was not only dealing with rookie growing pains last year but also the move to a new position after playing tackle at West Virginia. He should see improvement as an interior lineman in his sophomore season and will likely be the swing interior backup in 2021.

It’s likely that even if the SF 49ers count on Mack to play until he’s 38 years old, they’ll want to have a backup option who can exclusively focus on the center position, so look for them to bring in a day-two pick to learn under Mack, who has played under Kyle Shanahan with both the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, and provide depth at the position.

As for the swing tackle, veteran Shon Coleman sat out last season due to the pandemic, leaving the job to Justin Skule in 2020, who struggled when called upon, especially at left tackle. Whether either is the best choice here remains to be seen, and don’t be surprised if the Niners take advantage of a decent incoming rookie class and draft another player here, too.