49ers Offensive Line is Still a Questionable Area
The 49ers locked in star left tackle Trent Williams.
Losing Williams would have sunk the 49ers' initial draft plans. They would have been forced to go left tackle with the 12th pick. Now they do not have to worry about that position for the foreseeable future.
Along with Williams re-signing, the 49ers also swooped center Alex Mack. Signing Mack was by far the most predictable move the 49ers were going to make. They desperately needed a capable center since it was the most glaring need on the offensive line, so of course Kyle Shanahan wanted to target Mack due to their time in Atlanta and Cleveland together.
With left tackle and center secured, the offensive line of the 49ers is all good now right?
Wrong.
The 49ers offensive line is still a questionable area. In fact, even Mack isn't a simple "plug and forget" player. He's capable, but the trend he is on right now is a steep decline in performance. The 49ers have to hope that he doesn't continue down that path along with any concerns of injury because there is some there with Mack.
Then there is still the very questionable Mike McGlinchey. The guy has to pack on some more weight. He cannot continue to be a horrendous pass protecting right tackle. At this point, the 49ers are looking like fools for taking him 9th in the 2018 draft. Yes, his run blocking is solid, but that isn't enough when you're a top-10 draft pick.
Until McGlinchey can increase his build and brush up on his technique, he will always be a liability on the offensive line. Defenses are not going to overload Williams' side when they know it is easy to put McGlinchey on his back.
Lastly, the guard position isn't necessarily clean either. Laken Tomlinson is adequate at times, but there is some inconsistency to his game. And is Daniel Brunskill even a real guard? He did show promise when he found some consistent starts there, but there are definitely still reservations with him there. He is easily a better tackle than a guard.
Since Williams was already with the 49ers last season, the offensive line only got a little bit better with bringing Mack on. If he can remain healthy, then perhaps his calls in protection at the line will bring about the greatest spike in improvement for the 49ers. He is an intelligent player after all, so it will be interesting to see his impact.
Regardless, offensive line is still a questionable area for the 49ers. I doubt they use free agency as an avenue to improve it, so look for the draft to be where they add depth and any potential future pieces.
