5 overreactions from 49ers preseason loss vs. Raiders
By Peter Panacy
49ers overreaction No. 2: Offensive line is terrible
Not only was Trey Lance sacked four times, but he was under regular duress from a still-experienced Raiders defensive front, one that was going up primarily against second- and some third-year players on San Francisco's roster, many of whom have barely played over that stretch. Aside from reserve veterans like Jon Feliciano and Matt Pryor, the bulk of 49ers offensive linemen maybe had a combined 10 starts between them.
Second-year pro Nick Zakelj, in particular, did not look sharp in protection and was also flagged twice for holding, and he's another one of those who barely saw the field last season.
Yes, the Niners B-team O-line was bad. There isn't much point in arguing against that.
However, barring some awful injury attrition, San Francisco isn't going to field an O-line like that during the regular season at all. What it needs are two or three solid backups who can fill in at a moment's notice.
Not a line of five players who looked as shoddy performing together as they did on Sunday.