Predicting 49ers offensive line depth chart (with NFL Draft picks mixed in)
By Peter Panacy
49ers 2022 offensive line predictions: The starters
- Left tackle: Trent Williams
- Left guard: Aaron Banks
- Center: Alex Mack
- Right guard: Dylan Parham*
- Right tackle: Mike McGlinchey
*denotes rookie
Already, the Niners’ 2022 version of the starting offensive line will look noticeably different, and yet there are a few X-factors already at play here.
No concern is needed for All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, of course. And as long as Alex Mack, the multiyear Pro Bowler, returns to action for one more season, San Francisco will maintain some continuity there, too.
Mike McGlinchey’s health is something to monitor, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be 100 percent in time for training camp. Yet the 49ers have to hope he will be, especially with the knowledge they can’t afford to open up one more void within this unit.
That brings us to the two guard spots.
The Niners appear poised to name their second-round NFL Draft pick from a year ago, Aaron Banks, as Laken Tomlinson’s heir apparent. Banks, who notably disappointed during training camp and the preseason, ended up seeing only five regular-season snaps his rookie year. Yet Banks, a left guard at Notre Dame, didn’t have a shot at earning that starting role, so one can fairly question whether or not moving back to his natural spot will give him an advantage.
San Francisco has to hope for this.
Finally, the 49ers elect to land Memphis interior lineman Dylan Parham with their top pick in the 2022 draft, No. 61 overall.
Read More: Dylan Parham could be 49ers’ next great offensive lineman
Parham projects as a center at the NFL level but can also double as a guard, possibly upgrading over the Niners’ prior option there, Daniel Brunskill. More importantly, though, San Francisco would be grooming Mack’s eventual replacement in 2023.