Ranking 49ers 10 most important players entering 2022

No. 8: 49ers Center Jake Brendel

Of all the players on this list, Jake Brendel is the one who is most likely to have Niners fans saying “Who?” It’s a fair question, considering Brendel has played a grand total of six offensive snaps for San Francisco.

And yet, after Pro Bowler Alex Mack’s retirement, Brendel has immediately become one of the 49ers’ most important players, as all signs point to him being the team’s starting center for 2022.

Brendel was the scout team’s center last season, and he and quarterback Trey Lance developed a rapport after working together during that time. Considering Lance is likely to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2022, head coach Kyle Shanahan probably likes the idea of giving his first-year starter as much familiarity as possible.

Lance is also the reason why Brendel is so important to the Niners’ 2022 success. A good center can have an incredible benefit for a young quarterback. Not only will Brendel be snapping Lance the ball, but a truly elite center can assist with calling out protections and adjustments to the rest of the offensive line, taking a huge burden off of a quarterback’s shoulders.

As Lance will be starting this season with only two games of NFL experience after playing 19 games at the FCS level, taking that all off his shoulders could be a huge benefit.

Because of the benefit he can have for Lance, Brendel easily cracks this list of 10 most important 49ers and would likely be higher if it was certain he would be the starter.