Clear-cut studs, duds from 49ers preseason win over Vikings
By Peter Panacy
49ers dud: Offensive tackle Justin Skule
The 49ers have no reason to play All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams during the preseason, meaning these three games are perfect for evaluating who’ll make up the reserves.
With two exhibition games now in the books, it’s not looking as if fourth-year pro lineman Justin Skule is making a great case for himself.
On a back-to-back play sequence in the first half, Skule was flagged for a false start and then subsequently surrendered a pressure on quarterback Nate Sudfeld on a 3rd-and-14 play that led to an incompletion.
That was surely part of the Niners’ early woes where they started 0-of-7 on third downs, and Skule’s overall performance didn’t exactly command a lot of praise.
Practices, games -- Justin Skule is on the ground a lot.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) August 20, 2022
San Francisco appears to be leaning towards third-year pro lineman Colton McKivitz (who didn’t play on Saturday) as a primary swing tackle, while veteran Jordan Mills might also be in the running after joining the squad in the middle of training camp.
As for Skule, little has gone right for him since suffering a torn ACL ahead of the 2021 regular season, and there’s a strong chance he won’t be making the 53-man roster.