5 botched moves John Lynch, 49ers made over course of 2021

No. 2: 49ers whiffed on Aaron Banks, upgrading the O-line

One of the key pieces of evidence why San Francisco lost the 2022 NFC Championship game was the fact it was unable to establish the run, getting just 50 total rush yards and averaging a paltry 2.5 yards per carry, which in turn forced Jimmy Garoppolo to carry the offensive load on his shoulders.

True, the 49ers did attempt to restock the offensive line during the offseason, bringing aboard veteran center Alex Mack and then using two draft picks to grab linemen Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore in Rounds 2 and 5, respectively.

Moore is still a project and saw modest time on the field this season. But Banks, who was a regular inactive to start the year and couldn’t beat out the weakest link among the starting O-line unit, right guard Daniel Brunskill, has been a massive disappointment.

Banks was more of a man-power blocker during his collegiate tenure at Notre Dame, so already the fit in the 2021 draft was questionable. So far, his impact hasn’t been felt, and it might be another case where the Niners have a situation like they did with former offensive guard Joshua Garnett way back early during Kyle Shanahan’s tenure.

While there’ll be hope for Banks to take a massive leap in year two, the early results haven’t been good.

At all.