Just a few seasons ago, the 49ers’ offensive line was its strength. The fivesome of Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis was a physical group of brawlers capable of pounding opponents into submission.
The San Francisco running attack was eighth in the league in 2011, fourth in 2012, third in 2013 and fourth in 2014, as Frank Gore and Co. consistently had big games as part of solid, balanced offense led by the big men up front.
But as the team heads into this offseason, that offensive line is long gone. There is much rebuilding to be done. San Francisco finished with the fourth-best rushing game in the NFL in 2016, but that was deceiving, aided by quarterback scrambles and the individual efforts of running backs after contact. Plus, one of the reasons the 49ers passing game was the worst in the NFL was the pressure allowed up front. San Francisco gave up 47 sacks, third-worst in the league.
Only Staley remains from that Fab Five. Replacements for the others have been hit and miss.
This week, the analytic website Pro Football Focus graded the 49ers as having the 28th best offensive line in a 32-team league.
Wrote Sam Monson of PFF: “We are entering the realms of units with almost nothing to point to in terms of positives coming out of the 2016 season. LT Joe Staley was solid but had his worst season since 2011. Pass protection was the facet in which he suffered the biggest drop. Everybody else on the line struggled …
“Carlos Hyde was the team’s leading rusher, but 662 of his 988 rushing yards came after contact, and QB Colin Kaepernick added 337 yards on pass-play scrambles alone, inflating the 49ers’ rushing numbers beyond what the line actually gave them with its blocking.”
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It appears Trent Brown is developing at right tackle, where he was the team’s top-rated pass blocker, and Staley is a foundation at left tackle. But rookie first-rounder Joshua Garnett and journeyman Zane Beadles at guards and Daniel Kilgore at center have been either still developing or average. Pro Football Focus gave its lowest grades to Beadles (40.2) and Garnett (42.4).
With as many as 11 picks in hand for this year’s draft, and some salary-cap flexibility, the 49ers’ new general manager will have the resources to invest in this group. It's needed.
