49ers NFL Draft: 5 prospects who’ll go bust if Niners take them in 2022

49ers bust risk No. 2: OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

The Niners could and should look for offensive line help in this year’s draft, particularly with Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson leaving in NFL free agency for the New York Jets and starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey working his way back from a serious quad injury suffered a year ago.

Even if McGlinchey returns healthy, San Francisco could explore a long-term replacement with McGlinchey entering a contract year.

In some regards, Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning would be a McGlinchey-like selection. Both are known for their run support, and the 6-foot-7 Penning moves surprisingly well for a player his size, having ran a 4.89 40-yard time at the NFL Combine.

That size, however, can work against Penning in a lot of ways, particularly in pass protection where he often plays with a pad level that’s high, losing leverage and not sustaining his blocks against more nimble pass-rushers, and that’s why Pro Football Focus cited him as a player to be wary of at the pro level.

Sure, a run-first 49ers offense would pride itself on using a day-two pick on Penning, citing his run-blocking prowess as a major reason.

But his pass protection would nevertheless be too big a liability.