Andrew Lauderdale came to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 as a UDFA. Raise your hand if you remember this.
I bring this up because the 49ers had their own issues at guard and Lauderdale couldn’t even get a call-up to the main roster and ride the bench. He did get himself a future’s contract, but that’s about it for what he earned in 2017.
Like Mark said last year, I’d love to call this guy “Slauderdale”, but if he couldn’t even get a backup spot with the 49ers tackle issues last year, he’s definitely got a long road ahead of him in 2018 with the line as it is.
Basic info
Age: 24 (turns 25 on November 22, 2017)
Experience: 0 accrued seasons; second training camp
Height: 6’6
Weight: 300 pounds
Cap Status
He is on year one of a two-year deal. His salary for 2018 pays $480,000
Why he might improve in 2018
Well, getting on the active roster would be a start. To be fair, Lauderdale began as a tight end and has converted to the offensive line. Others have done this, such as Joe Staley. The problem is, Lauderdale hasn’t done anything to separate himself besides get a futures contract. The fact that the 49ers have others like Joshua Garnett and Jonathan Cooper competing doesn’t bode well for a practice squad player who couldn’t get a single snap.
Why he might regress in 2018
He’s an FCS star and the 49ers have overhauled the offensive line. He’s got a steep competition against him to even make the practice squad this year with the additions of development prospects like Najee Toran. Lauderdale hasn’t show anything to show he’s bad, but he hasn’t shown anything to suggest he’s the answer either. He might be a good player, but he quite simply isn’t good enough.
Odds of making the roster
The 49ers have a wide open guard competition with two of the Laken Tomlinson, Joshua Garnett, and Jonathan Cooper trio being heavy favorites. We’ve already talked about Najee Toran, and even he as a rookie with nice intangibles has a hard road ahead of him.
Lauderdale is a camp body, if he’s lucky he’ll be a Game 4 preseason starter, but even that is a stretch.