Ranking the San Francisco 49ers most important position battles
2. Offensive Line
The 49ers have far more depth on the offensive line than they have had in some time. Having added players at every position in the offseason, competition for places figures to be heavy except at left tackle, where Joe Staley remains the unquestioned starter.
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At OTAs, per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, Joshua Garnett and Brandon Fusco both received first-team snaps at right guard, with the same happening at center with Jeremy Zuttah and Daniel Kilgore and at right tackle with Trent Brown and Gary Gilliam.
San Francisco needs to find a five-man starting combination that best fits Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking system — which relies on mobile linemen who can get to the second level in the run game — and can do a significantly better job of holding up in pass protection.
The Niners ranked No. 30 in pass-blocking in 2016, per Football Outsiders, giving up 47 sacks. Identifying a starting group that can avoid a similarly poor season in 2017 will be pivotal to how San Francisco’s offense performs.