5 NFC West free agents 49ers would love to pluck away in 2022

49ers NFC West free-agent target No. 1: Offensive guard Austin Corbett, Rams

Going after playmakers is one thing. Reinforcing the line of scrimmage is another, and this is generally the smart play when only limited options are available.

San Francisco can worry about its offensive line this offseason, particularly with veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson a pending free agent and likely to command a hefty offseason payday. The 49ers might also want to explore upgrades over right guard Daniel Brunskill and the 2021 second-round draft pick, Aaron Banks, the latter seeing only five offensive snaps last season.

Either way, making a move for Rams right guard Austin Corbett would be a wise move.

Los Angeles operates a similar offensive blocking system as that of Kyle Shanahan, albeit with some modest changes, yet the outside-zone blocking scheme is one which Corbett has performed well since joining LA in the middle of the 2019 season.

At just 26 years old, Corbett is only hitting his prime and has remained almost entirely injury-free during his Rams tenure.

A very Tomlinson-like performance, not overly flashy but certainly effective and always present.

Even if the Niners are able to retain Tomlinson on the left side, looking at someone like Corbett to upgrade the right would be a wise move.