2023 NFL Draft: Offensive Line Edition

 The big concern going into last year was the offensive line and they ended up exceeding expectations. This year their starting RT, Mike McGlinchey is no longer on the team. McKivitz is presumed to be in the mix as his replacement, however I fully expect them to identify a natural OT as his main competitor and ultimately Trent Williams' replacement down the road. Let's take a look at guys that will be available beginning in the middle of round 2, since that's a realistic option should the 49ers choose to go that route, and the players I think they might target:

Cody Mauch, OT, ND 6'5 302 lbs., 32 3/8" arms, 9 3/4" hands, 5.08 40/1.79 10 yard/29" Vert/9' Broad/7.33 3 Cone/4.55 SS/29 reps Bench

Mauch is a former TE turned OT as a walk on. Positives: Athletic, ZBS run blocking machine, can play any position across the line, highly aggressive, good hip explosion, team captain, high energy, love and appreciation for the game. Negatives: Short levers, undisciplined feet, susceptible to bull rush, hand placement needs more refinement. Expected to go in the middle of round 2. Gold Helmet candidate. Summation: Think he's more guard than pure OT.

  Blake Freeland, OT, BYU 6'8 302 lbs., 33 7/8" arms, 10" hands, 4.98 40/1.68 10 yard/37" Vert/10' Broad/7.46 3 cone/4.71 SS

Freeland is a 4 year starter. Multi sport athlete. Shot/Javelin/Track state champion. Positives: Principal's honor roll student, excellent feet, ZBS run blocker, good punch and hand placement. Negatives: Technique refinement, instances of waist bending, better strength. Gold Helmet Designation. Summation: Type of player the team will covet at a position of need with the potential to be the future at LT. Projected #70.

Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama 6'6, 321 lbs., 32 3/4" arms, 10 1/2" hands, 29.5" Vert/9'1 Broad/4.59 SS, 31 reps Bench

Steen came to the Crimson Tide by way of Vanderbilt after 33 starts. Used that experience to gain an opportunity to play LT and never looked back. Positives: Strong, athletic with powerful hips to rotate at the top of the apex, ZBS fit. Negatives: Technique inconsistencies, more of a linear mover. Summation: Plenty to work with room for improvement. Projection 3rd round.

Asim Richards, OT, North Carolina 6' 4 309lbs., 34" arms, 10" hands

Richards is a 2 sport athlete and a physical run blocker. He's played DT, OT, TE. Positives: Mean streak, powerful, strong hands. Negatives: Pass pro susceptible against speed, feet need work, lacks explosion. Summation: Looks like an OG to me and should be there at pick #99. 

Wanya Morris, RT, OU 6'6 317 lbs., 35 1/8" arms, 10 1/4" hands, 5.1 40/1.73 10 yard/28.5" Vert/9.3 Broad

5 Star recruit who's never really lived up to his potential until this past year. Positives: NFL traits, nasty disposition, ZBS fit. Negatives: Core/Grip strength, balance in pass pro. Summation: 1st year where he played to his potential is cause for concern but he should be there at pick #99. 

Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland 6'6, 306 lbs., 33 5/8" arms, 9 1/4" hands, 5.1 40/1.78 Ten yard/31.5" Vert/9'5 Broad

Duncan is a 4 year starter with an NFL frame and athletic traits. Positives: Short area explosion, plays with an attitude in the run game, easy mover in space. Negatives: Grip strength, footwork, leverage awareness. Summation: Elite athlete but it's concerning how poorly refined his game is with all the experience at the position. Projection 4th round.

Warren McClendon Jr., OT, Georgia 6'4, 306 lbs., 34 1/2" arms, 10" hands

McClendon is a RT with NFL bloodlines. Positives: Technique, Intelligence, Strong upper body. Negatives: Slow feet, Inconsistent kick slide/labored vs. speed. Summation: You could do a lot worse. Not sure he's a fit. I'd probably roll the dice. Projection late 3rd.

Round 5 prospects:

Alex Palczewski, OT, Illinois, 6'6, 314 lbs., 9 1/4" hands, 33 3/8" arms

Extensive experience and durability with 65 games started, 49 at OT and 16 at OG. Positives: Captain, 713 pass pro attempts, 99% at RT without giving up a sack, no sacks allowed in 2022, high school wrestler. Negatives: Susceptible to quick swim move over him as a run blocker, stunt/twist recognition, hand placement. Summation: His aggression can be a two edged sword but he would represent great value with the potential to be the RT of the future. I wouldn't pass on him if I missed on any of the others.

Joey Fisher Sheppard OT, 6'5, 322 lbs.

3 year starter with starter traits. Mauler in the run game. Positives: Power, temperament, size and length. Negatives: Technique laziness, hand placement, level of competition. Summation: I like this player and he's another great value in round 5. He has the ability to earn starting reps.

Jon Gaines II, OT, UCLA, 6'4, 303 lbs., 33 5/8" arms, 10 1/8" hands, 5.01 40/1.73 10 yard/32.5" Vert/9'.6 Broad/7.31 3 cone/*4.45 SS

Gaines has experience at C/OG/OT and fits a ZBS with his movement skills. Positives: Intelligence, quickness, versatility. Negatives: Sloppy technique, lacks power, hand placement. Summation: He's a system fit but the lack of power gives me pause. He may be worth a flyer but I'd hate it if he tarnished Lynch's 5th round record. 

*Since 2010, just 28 Offensive Linemen recorded a 4.47 short shuttle or better at the NFL Combine. 24 of those were drafted, and all 24 went on to start 84% of their NFL games.

Some nice information by a HOF OL Coach:

Evaluating the 49ers First Week of FA

By Scooter_McG

The first wave of free agency is now done and the 49ers have seen a lot of player movement in that period, both coming and going, as well as some key retentions. Here are my initial thoughts on the 49ers moves in free agency so far. 

Additions

The 49ers made a big splash in the opening hours of the FA legal tampering period with the signing of one of the premier FAs available in DT Javon Hargrave, to a 4-year, $84M deal. This was a move that came as a surprise to most - not because the 49ers were aggressive or that they went after a DT, but because the general thinking was the 49ers would not have the cap space to make such a big signing this offseason. 

The addition of Hargrave to the 49ers DL has the potential to take a good unit to an elite level. DL coach Kris Kocurek has done an excellent job finding solid pass rush complements to Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead the past two years, but there is no doubt there was still a big drop off in talent and production from those two players. Hargrave adds a third elite player to the DL unit to help take the heat off Bosa and Armstead and add stress to opposing offenses. 

Other additions the 49ers have made are QB Sam Darnold to a 1-year, incentive laden deal, CB Isaiah Oliver to a 2-year deal, and DE Clelin Ferrell to a 1-year deal. 

Darnold will provide a solid option to push Trey Lance while Purdy recovers from elbow surgery, and is a player that can keep the team afloat in case of injuries. He has obviously had his struggles in his first five years in the NFL, but last year he showed some signs of progress and as a former 3rd overall pick he has the physical talents required to be a starting NFL QB. Given the injury issues at QB last season, having a capable veteran like Darnold on the books was a must.

Oliver is an exciting addition to compete for the nickel CB job. He's a long and athletic CB that has some inside/ outside flexibility, though inside is where he found a home with the Falcons and where he will likely find himself with the 49ers. He's an aggressive player that loves to play physically both against the pass and run, which is a perfect fit for the 49ers defense. 

Ferrell is an interesting addition and one I had expected. The former 4th overall pick was something of a bust with the Raiders. He's not as great an athlete as you might typically expect for someone draft so high, but he is a smart player with quality length and size for the position and brings high effort and leadership traits. In short, he is exactly the type of reclamation project that Kocurek has had success with in recent years and is a player I expect will reinvent himself under Kocurek's tutelage and playing alongside the likes of Bosa, Armstead and Hargrave.

Retained

The 49ers re-signed all of their ERFAs and RFAs, though some were signed to deals outside the ERFA/ RFA tag (e.g. McKivitz, Givens and Flannigan-Fowles). McKivitz figures to play a prominent role in the competition at RT while Givens has proven himself to be a valuable rotational DT. Jauan Jennings also comes back to add depth to the WR unit.

Before the FA legal tampering period began the 49ers announced the re-signing of starting FS Tashaun Gipson who will be coming back on a relatively cheap deal at just $2.9M which is a bargain relative to his level of play last season. Gipson was tremendous last year and his combination with Hufanga gave the 49ers one of the best safety tandems in the NFL. 

Importantly, the 49ers were able to re-sign starting center Jake Brendel to a 4-year deal despite interest from other teams. While Brendel is not an elite player by any means, he was surprisingly solid in his first year as a starter last season and helps provide stability along the interior of the 49ers OL. 

The 49ers are also bringing back DT TY McGill on a 1-year deal, who impressed in a rotational role after being brought in mid-season last year. With the addition of Hargrave and retention of Givens and McGill, the 49ers now have a lot of talent and depth at DT, with a focus on penetration up the middle.  

Outgoings

The 49ers are saying goodbye to some solid starting calibre players in Mike McGlinchey, Jimmy Garoppolo, Dan Brunskill, Jimmie Ward, Emmanuel Moseley, Charles Omenihu, Samson Ebukam and Azeez Al-Shaair. A few depth pieces are also on the move in Hassan Ridgeway, Maurice Hurst and Tarvarius Moore. 

That is a lot of starting calibre talent leaving Santa Clara, and at first glance such heavy losses would seem to suggest the 49ers may struggle to replace so many good players. But looking at the players they are losing two things stand out to me: (1) while they are solid players, they are not star players - they aren't players that make the team around them better, and (2) only two of them (McGlinchey and Ward) were clear cut starters - while Jimmy G, Al-Shaair, Ebukam, Omenihu and Brunskill all played a lot of snaps last year, they were either backups or rotational guys, while Moseley missed almost the entire season and Lenoir stepped up in his place. 

The 49ers have also already replaced Ward (Oliver) and Jimmy G (Darnold) with cheaper players that both have the talent to be capable starters in the NFL. The addition of Ferrell also helps soften the blow of losing Ebukam and Omenihu - in fact Ferrell is a more talented player than either of them and comes to the 49ers with similar levels of pass rush efficiency and productivity as they had prior to joining the 49ers.

And in losing so many starting calibre players, the 49ers stand to gain in terms of compensatory picks. In the case of McGlinchey and Jimmy G, they both represent players that are being signed to very large contracts (though in terms of the QB market, Jimmy G's contract is now just middle of the road) that should qualify for 3rd round comp picks. The addition of Hargrave cancels one of those out (expected to be Jimmy G), but they should still get a 3rd rounder back for McGlinchey.  

Bottom Line

The 49ers were always going to lose some players this offseason, and none of the players that have signed elsewhere came as much of a surprise. The trick was always going to be how the 49ers replaced the contributions of those players.

And this is where I find myself both pleasantly surprised and also impressed with the approach taken by Lynch and Shanahan. If you are going to pay big money for a player, make sure it is a very good to elite level player that knows what it takes to win. Don't spend big money to get just a solid or a good player. Don't spend the money on a guy that isn't committed to winning. 

Very good to elite level players that take the game seriously make the players around them better. It helps make solid players look like good players, and fringe players look solid. If you stack a few of them together in the same unit, they can overtake a game.

It's a tactic the team has employed pretty much every offseason bar the first one since Lynch and Shanahan arrived. In 2018 they went and got Richard Sherman. In 2019 it was Dee Ford (which unfortunately didn't work out due to injury). In 2020 it was Trent Williams. But over those years they had plenty of cap space and they also interspersed it with some overpaying for solid to good players. 

But for the past two offseasons the team has been tight against the cap yet have still aggressively pursued star talent. And they've done it at positions they were the most vulnerable the year before. Last offseason they went and got CB Charvarius Ward who was excellent for the 49ers last season. They also traded for McCaffrey mid-season. And this year Hargrave looks like another home run signing, plugging a gap at DT next to Armstead that at times last season was the teams biggest liability on defense.

By adding another star player to an already star-studded roster, it makes the job of everyone else that much easier. And it means you can likely get by with some lesser talented players than the guys the 49ers are losing at other positions. 

Importantly, by making sure the star players you bring in are professional, high character players you avoid the potential pitfall that other star-studded but egotistical rosters have had. This isn't a team that will accept anything less than 100% commitment, or that is going to start sniping at each other when things get tough. And from everything I have heard about Hargrave, he will fit right into the 49ers locker room and winning mentality.   

Free Agency Tracker 2023

 

Ari Meirov

@MySportsUpdate

 :The #49ers are re-signing veteran safety Tashaun Gipson to a 1-year deal. Gipson started all 17 games last season for SF and they valued him a ton. Now back for another year.

Shefter:

Former Eagles’ DT Javon Hargrave has reached agreement on a four-year, $80 million deal that includes $40m guaranteed at signing with the SF 49ers, per sources. Deal negotiated and confirmed by Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha.

Matt Barrows

@mattbarrows

·

54s

49ers making more moves along the defensive line: They’ve signed Kevin Givens to a one-year, $2.1M deal with $2M guaranteed, per source.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

·

2m

49ers reached agreement on a one-year deal with former Panthers’ QB Sam Darnold, per source.

The #49ers have agreed to terms with Center Jake Brendel on a 4-year, per

@RapSheet

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨

@TheSFNiners

·

59m

The #49ers have signed former 1st round DL Clelin Ferrell to a one-year deal, per @AdamSchefter

WayneBreezie

@thewaynebreezie

·

7m

The #49ers signed CB Isaiah Oliver to a one-year deal, per

@MikeGarafolo

. Oliver was a former second-round pick of the #Falcons

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

·

10m

Veteran defensive tackle TY McGill is going back to #49ers on a 1-year deal that includes guaranteed money in his base salary.

The #49ers have re-signed linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to a one-year deal.