49ers get surprisingly good play from Aaron Banks, Spencer Burford vs. Packers

The 49ers entered the 2022 preseason with some question marks at guard, but Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford playing well against the Packers is a good sign.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance and cornerback Samuel Womack received most of the attention in the wake of the Niners’ 28-21 preseason Week 1 win over the visiting Green Bay Packers last Friday

Rightfully so. Lance’s 76-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Danny Gray was impressive, while Womack drastically increased his chances to start at nickel corner with a two-interception night.

Those two performances certainly overshadowed a number of other key players’ performances during the game, but one needs to point out how San Francisco quietly got excellent outings from two of its young guards, second-year pro Aaron Banks and rookie Spencer Burford.

The 49ers started Banks and Burford at left and right guard, respectively, and despite entering the preseason with some concerns about how well the interior of the offensive line would look, at least one bit of limited action in the exhibition phase suggests the O-line’s interior might not be all that bad.

Aaron Banks, Spencer Burford shine in 49ers win vs. Packers

Generally speaking, offensive linemen should do one of two things in any given game:

1. Not be noticed for giving up rushes, pressures or sacks
2. Be noticed but because of pancaking opposing defenders

Banks fell into the former category, while Burford had more than one instance of flattening a defender, such as this particular play with backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld under center. And while it might have been classified as a defensive pressure by Green Bay, Burford putting his man on the ground was nevertheless impressive.

Burford worked almost exclusively with the Niners’ first-string unit during training camp, and there’s almost nothing to suggest he diminished his chances of starting in the regular season based on what he showcased versus the Packers, playing every snap well into the third quarter of the game.

49ers watching Aaron Banks get some redemption?

Exactly one year ago at this time, fans were rightfully wondering if San Francisco whiffed on Banks, the second-round NFL Draft pick out of Notre Dame who struggled during his preseason debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, suffered a shoulder injury and then ended up a regular member of the regular-season inactive list, subsequently seeing a mere five offensive snaps over those 17 games.

In fairness to Banks, he was almost exclusively a left guard at the collegiate level, and he wasn’t going to overtake now-New York Jets Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson a year ago.

So, as it’s currently panning out, the 49ers appeared to be ticketing Banks for an impact in 2022, not 2021 when he was drafted.

Unlike his NFL debut last season, Banks was impressive on Friday. Not necessarily flashy or dominant, the starting left guard was nevertheless highly effective, playing 24 total snaps and allowing precisely zero pressures on 15 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Not bad at all considering pass protection was a question mark for him coming out of college.

Again, it’s just a preseason game. Green Bay didn’t even bother to dress the bulk of its defensive starting lineup, meaning both Banks and Burford were primarily lining up opposite of B- and C-list defenders.

However, the efforts shown were precisely what the Niners wanted to see. Had either lineman struggled against lesser competition, the alarm bells would likely be going off for San Francisco heading towards the regular season.

They shouldn’t be based on Friday night.