San Francisco 49ers: Metrics that must improve in 2018

2 of 4

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 01: Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey speaks to the media during NFL Combine press conferences at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Adjusted Line Yards

Part of San Francisco’s issues running the ball stemmed from disappointing blocking up the middle and on the right side of the offensive line, which is why the 49ers invested in linemen who can block on the move by spending big on center Weston Richburg in free agency and using their first-round pick on tackle Mike McGlinchey before trading Trent Brown.

The ground game Shanahan utilizes is highly dependent on linemen who have the ability to pull and get to the second level and the metrics indicate neither former center Daniel Kilgore nor Brown did that well.

In Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards, which takes running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive line, the 49ers ranked No. 6 and No. 5 on runs to left end and left tackle — in other words, Joe Staley’s side. On runs up the middle, however, they were 18th, while finishing the season 14th in ALY on runs to right tackle and a dismal 28th on runs to right end.

As hinted by those numbers, neither Kilgore nor Brown was a perfect fit for a zone-blocking system and, with Richburg and McGlinchey in place, look for Adjusted Line Yards to be a metric in which rank near the top of the NFL after ending 2017 11th in the league overall.