SANTA CLARA – Now that Brock Purdy is a year removed from a magical elbow repair and two seasons into a promising career, the 49ers must do better at buying him time in the pocket.
Lapses in protection helped lead to the 49ers’ demise in Super Bowl LVIII. Hence, upgrading the offensive line is among their top priorities this offseason.
Must they get an immediate starter, somewhere to the right of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams? Maybe, maybe not. But they must increase the competition and depth. They have a franchise quarterback to protect, not to mention the NFL rushing champion in Christian McCaffrey, as well as other star talent in George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and, presumably, Brandon Aiyuk, who’s only locked into the fifth-year option of his rookie deal.
Offensive linemen will be the final prospects to go through drills Sunday as the NFL Scouting Combine concludes Sunday in Indianapolis. John Lynch, the 49ers’ eighth-year general manager, is scheduled to speak to the media at 11 a.m. (PT) Tuesday; coach Kyle Shanahan is not slated to attend or speak for the third straight combine.
Here is a closer look at the offensive line:
UNDER CONTRACT
Left tackle Trent Williams (team-high $30 million cap figure), center Jake Brendel ($4.7 million), right tackle Colton McKivitz ($3.6 million), left guard Aaron Banks ($2.3 million), right guard Spencer Burford ($1.2 million), tackle Jaylon Moore ($1.2 million), guard Nick Zakelj ($1 million), tackle Sebastian Gutierrez ($915,000), tackle Isaac Alarcon ($795,000), Corey Luciano ($795,000).
FREE AGENTS
Guard Jon Feliciano, tackle Matt Pryor, guard Ben Bartch
2024 PLAN
Banks is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and as an entrenched starter, don’t be surprised if he lands a lucrative deal before, say, Brandon Aiyuk or Chase Young. But what do the 49ers do at right guard, where Spencer Burford has eyes on reclaiming the starting spot, fueling himself further by his third-down breakdown in the Super Bowl? Feliciano shouldn’t be excommunicated for pointing out Burford’s gaffe, but perhaps the 49ers look for a young brute to take over at right guard and/or to challenge Brendel at center.
While McKivitiz should be safe to return at right tackle, the 49ers need better options, not only there, but to potentially succeed Williams down the road. Williams, 35, dismissed talk of retirement after the Super Bowl loss, so another year or two is all the 49ers have to deliver him to the winner’s circle.
The 49ers did not use any of their nine draft picks last year on an offensive lineman. That cannot happen again April 25-27. Using their top pick (currently No. 31 overall) would be understandable if it’s on an immediate starting lineman.
2023 REVIEW
The 49ers’ offensive line meshed into an overshadowed yet quality outfit as the season progressed. Williams’ ankle injury and absence played a big role in the October three-game losing streak. McKivitiz aptly replaced Mike McGlinchey, though he had to shake off the three sacks he allowed to T.J. Watt in the opener. McKivitz and Brendel started every game. Feliciano supplanted Burford as the starter at right guard, and that worked well up until the Super Bowl, with Feliciano leaving injured after a mixed day and Burford coming on to inexplicably leave Chris Jones unblocked on Purdy’s final pass, a third-down incompletion from the 9-yard line in overtime that led to a field goal instead of a more-needed touchdown.
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PLAYER QUOTE
“This feeling shall pass. Once spring rolls around, everyone will have the same hunger to get back, have a chance to win the Super Bowl.” — Trent Williams, two days after Super Bowl LVIII
SHANAHAN QUOTE
“You want to invest in wherever you think makes you the best team. You can sit there and load up on O-linemen and draft them three years in a row and go spend on free agents and then not have many people score touchdowns and things like that, or rush the quarterback. You can do a lot of that type of stuff. It just depends how it goes. But in that (Super Bowl), I didn’t feel like we were struggling just blocking them. We missed a few blitz pickups, which is what they do, that’s why they’re second in the league at that stuff. That doesn’t always come down to O-linemen. That comes down to kind of hot throws, things like that. But you’re going to always try to upgrade at everything.” – Kyle Shanahan, two days after Super Bowl LVIII
