San Francisco 49ers: 5 Biggest needs in 2018 NFL Draft, pre-free agency

2.Interior Offensive Line

While Joe Staley and Trent Brown have formed one of more underrated tackle pairings in the NFL, the 49ers have continued to have problems on the interior of the offensive line. Center Daniel Kilgore was re-signed despite an up-and-down year, his already strong relationship with Garoppolo likely key to that decision.

Guard Brandon Fusco, who produced a solid season after arriving as a free agent last year, is back on the market, while Laken Tomlinson did little to inspire following his trade from the Detroit Lions, though he did finish the year with a respectable Pro Football Focus Edge grade of 70.7. Joshua Garnett missed 2017 through injury and it is unknown whether he can be a fit for the zone-blocking scheme Kyle Shanhan runs in his offense despite efforts to get his weight down.

Even if the 49ers bring Fusco back for the sake of continuity, they will still have plenty of room for improvement at the guard position. Having guards who can hold up consistently in pass protection and are athletic enough to operate in a zone-blocking scheme would significantly increase the potential of this offense. In a draft heavy on interior linemen, the Niners should be in the market for at least one.

1. Edge Rusher

With the quarterback position seemingly fixed, attention must turn to a need the Niners have struggled to fill since Aldon Smith’s career started to go south. Smith was the 49ers’ last dominant presence on the edge and San Francisco has laboured in efforts to sack opposing quarterbacks following his release in 2015. The Niners had just 30 sacks in 2017, a particularly frustating statistic given that, per Pro Football Focus on Twitter, their front seven racked up 217 pressures.

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DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead are all capable of creating havoc on the inside, but their efforts will remain largely in vain if the Niners are unable to find edge rushers who can take advantage of that interior pressure.