49ers NFL Draft 2021: Predicting each rookie’s role, spot on depth chart
By Peter Panacy
2. player. 819. . Offensive Guard. Fighting Irish . Aaron Banks
No. 2: 49ers OL Aaron Banks
It might have been a little bit of a shock to see San Francisco use a second-round pick on Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Banks when there were other key areas of need at cornerback and in the pass-rush department.
That said, the 49ers offensive line was an injury-riddled mess last year, and the ripple effects that had on the offense aren’t something Kyle Shanahan wants to see continue again in 2021, hence two draft additions to reinforce this unit.
Banks, who is more of a man-gap offensive lineman, might have to tweak his gameplay a bit to adjust to Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme. At the same time, though, Banks was exceptional in pass protection and allowed just two sacks and 19 quarterback pressures over 443 pass sets during his collegiate career, per Pro Football Focus.
It also helps he’s a quality run mauler, too.
The idea here will be for Banks to immediately slide in at right guard, relieving the uber-versatile lineman, Daniel Brunskill, to be a primary reserve wherever needed along the line.
Look for Banks to start right away.