7 Greatest San Francisco 49ers players of the 21st century

5. Joe Staley – OT

Since his very first game in a 49ers uniform back in 2007, Joe Staley has been the team’s starting offensive tackle. Manning the left side of the line for the majority of his career, Staley has done really well at protecting the blindside of San Francisco’s starting quarterbacks.

After successfully converting from tight end to offensive tackle in college at Central Michigan, the 49ers selected Staley in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he was able to win the job as San Francisco’s starting right tackle.

The 49ers switched Staley over to the left side of the line and by 2009 he had already earned his second contract with the team. After two seasons with San Francisco, the young offensive tackle was awarded a six-year, $44.65 million extension.

Since signing that extension, Staley has developed into one of the best offensive linemen in the entire league. He began to really come into his own in 2011 when he began a string of five straight seasons that ended with an invite to the Pro Bowl.

There are few blockers in the NFL during the 21st century that have been able to perform as consistently at a high level as Staley has. He’s currently entering his 13th season in the league and after getting another extension from the 49ers in June, it doesn’t seem like he will be hanging up his cleats anytime soon.