Examining the fit: Alex Mack

By Scooter_McG

Not long after re-signing Trent Williams to a record deal, it was announced the 49ers would be signing veteran center Alex Mack. It was confirmed today that he will be joining on a 3-year deal. This move reunites Mack and Shanahan for the third time in their careers, having previously worked together in Cleveland and Atlanta. The fact that this is their third stop together is clear evidence of how much Shanahan values Mack (and how much Mack values playing for Shanahan), so understanding there is a fit is pretty obvious. But let’s take a look why.

Kyle Shanahan’s offense is built on speed and athleticism, with the aim to stretch and out-manoeuvre defenses both vertically and horizontally. In doing so, he uses a lot of outside zone and play action to create space and take advantage of the speed and athleticism of his players. He likes to have receivers that are dangerous in open space after the catch, and RBs that can take it to the house on any given play. And to make it all work, he needs mobile, athletic offensive linemen that can beat defenders to their spot to wall off running lanes and get to the second level. In particular, Shanahan emphasises having elite OTs, as well as an elite center.

When Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, the 49ers had Daniel Kilgore at center. Kilgore was a steady, serviceable player for the team in previous years, but he lacked the desired athleticism to man the middle for Kyle’s offense. One of the first moves Shanahan and Lynch made in 2017 was to trade for Jeremy Zuttah, an athletic veteran center that had just made the Pro Bowl in 2016 for the Ravens. He was seen as a perfect fit for Shanahan’s offense, but unfortunately he was unable to master what Shanahan wanted from him and didn’t make it past training camp; Kilgore ended up starting all 16 games in 2017.

In the 2018 offseason, despite re-signing Kilgore ahead of FA, the 49ers made signing Weston Richburg a priority and they promptly shipped Kilgore off to Miami. When healthy, Richburg had demonstrated he could play at a very high level for the Giants and he profiled as the athletic center Shanahan was looking for, entering his prime years. This is what Shanahan said after signing Richburg:

"When you have a center of the level of Alex (Mack) or Weston, it changes a lot of things, things that people don't totally realize. Sometimes you have to get in certain personnel groupings to help someone have an angle to a MIKE linebacker so you can help your center out with the guard. Sometimes you go into a one-back and now the WILL has to walk outside the box and the angles to the MIKE aren't as good, but you've got a center who can get there on his own and doesn't need the help. It allows you to do a bunch of different stuff. It puts more pressure on the center. It puts versatility in everything you can do, not just with the center but what your guards and tackles can do. It helps solidify the entire o-line. That's usually where it starts. There are a lot of good players, but when you have a difference maker at that position, I've found in my career that it's been a lot easier to run an offense."

While Richburg offered considerable promise, health was a concern as he was coming off two injury plagued years which had affected his level of play, and also limited him to just four games in 2017. His career with the 49ers offered glimpses of what could be, and he was an important cog in the 49ers 2019 rushing dominance. Sadly though for both Richburg and the 49ers, injuries have continued to be an issue. In 2018 he played through leg injuries, and in 2019 he tore his right patellar tendon in week 14. That injury cost him all of last year and he is now expected to retire.

Without Richburg last year the 49ers went through a host of center options (due to a combination of injuries, retirement, opting out and level of play), the three main options being Garland, Grasu and Brunskill. Both the running and passing game suffered as the OL struggled to consistently make holes and protect the QB (losing JG for large parts of the season also contributed to this).

It came as no surprise then that the 49ers made signing a center a priority this offseason. Rumours are that they explored a few options before settling on Mack. At 35 years old, Mack is not a long term option and is no longer the dominant player he once was. However, he is still a very good, highly athletic centre that knows Shanahan’s offense and is a perfect fit for what Shanahan asks his center to do. In his introductory zoom call, Mack acknowledged just that:

“I know it’s a system I can be really good in. It’s an offense I know I can excel at, so it was a very good fit between a good team, and a good spot with a good coaching staff and a place where I can be a good player.”

This is a match that makes perfect sense and will help solidify the interior of the 49ers OL in 2021. And I expect a rookie will be added to be groomed behind Mack for the future.