4 SF 49ers who don’t deserve another season in 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers offensive lineman Tom Compton
Like Mohamed Sanu, it was a bit surprising the 49ers brought back veteran offensive lineman Tom Compton on a one-year free-agent deal last offseason, particularly after he struggled amid a makeshift O-line over the course of 2020.
And with the Niners boasting younger options on the roster, namely Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore.
Yet Compton still managed to beat both of those players out for a primary swing-tackle role and needed to fill in as the starter in the wake of right tackle Mike McGlinchey’s season-ending quad injury halfway through 2021.
In fairness to Compton, his efforts weren’t necessarily terrible in that role, boasting a surprising 86.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, although that number seems a bit misleading as he was credited with allowing 18 pressures on 304 pass-blocking snaps.
Still, San Francisco would be much wiser either looking to develop McKivitz and/or Moore, or at least turning to what’s supposed to be a deep class of quality O-lineman in this year’s NFL Draft.
Simply put, the 49ers have to get younger instead of retaining the soon-to-be 33-year-old Compton.