49ers roster: 5 players who quietly overperformed in 2022
By Peter Panacy
Overperforming 49ers player No. 1: Left guard Aaron Banks
Yes, there are plenty of us who were outright wrong about left guard Aaron Banks.
Sure, his 2021 rookie year was, well… underwhelming. Five regular-season offensive snaps aren’t a lot to get excited about after San Francisco used a second-round pick on him in that year’s NFL Draft.
And, in the wake of Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson departing for the New York Jets in free agency, it was a reasonable concern to think Banks would adequately step in and fill the void after such a disappointing rookie year.
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Like Jake Brendel, however, Banks proved the doubters wrong.
Per Pro Football Focus, Banks has given up just one sack on the season and is responsible for a mere two quarterback hits on 518 pass-blocking snaps played. Also like Brendel, Banks is passing the eye test and can generally go unnoticed during games for all the right reasons.
Many of us (including you, too) probably thought Banks was destined to be a bust.
Instead, he’s far exceeded those expectations entering this season.
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