The San Francisco 49ers have made moves this offseason to shore up their interior offensive line and pass rush, and yet both remain considerable needs. The 49ers re-signed pass rushers Cassius Marsh and signed Jerry Attaochu. At guard, they signed Jonathan Cooper, welcome back Joshua Garnett, and will look for more out of Laken Tomlinson.
I think I know the answer to this, but I’m curious what people think of guard vs. edge rusher in terms of team needs.
Poll
What is a bigger need for the 49ers?
There is a general argument to be made that pass rushers are more important than guards, but given the financial investment in Jimmy Garoppolo, I’d say the offensive line as a whole is kind of a big deal. The team has their center and two tackles locked in, assuming everybody stays healthy. They have several options at guard, which for the time being means they don’t have two starting guards.
On the other hand, the team really lacks clear big time answers among their edge rushers. They have some options that will make for a solid rotation, but we don’t know what’s next for Arik Armstead. With questions around the secondary, boosting the pass rush could prove critical for helping this defense take things to the next level.
I don’t think this is a zero sum game in the bigger picture. The 49ers can address both needs, albeit not with one draft pick. But let’s say you were in a position where you had to choose between Quenton Nelson and someone like Harold Landry, what would be your choice? Or, with Bradley Chubb and Quenton Nelson off the board, how would you potentially put together a draft board between guards and edge rushers?