Final year-end grades for 49ers 2021 NFL Draft class
By Peter Panacy
Notre Dame. Aaron Banks. F. player. 42. Offensive Guard. . Pick Analysis
Round 2, Pick No. 48 Overall: 49ers offensive guard Aaron Banks
The selection of former Notre Dame guard Aaron Banks at No. 48 overall, which followed a Niners’ trade-down from their original pick at No. 43 overall, suggested head coach Kyle Shanahan might employ some more power schemes instead of his traditional zone-style system.
That paralleled a question about fit, though, and it became quite evident early on Banks would have some issues transitioning into this kind of system.
Things didn’t start off well for Banks, who struggled to beat out veteran lineman Daniel Brunskill for the starting right guard spot before suffering a shoulder injury in San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, which further hindered his development.
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Banks, regularly a member of the 49ers’ weekly inactive list after recovering from the injury, only saw five offensive snaps over the course of 2021 and spent his time serving on special teams when he was able to see the field.
There’s surely room for Banks to emerge as a quality option for the offensive line in the future.
As far as his rookie-year impact, though, this pick didn’t work out well at all.