What do you think of Justin Skule’s performance?

The San Francisco 49ers will now move onto their next opponent in the Seattle Seahawks, and it’s a good bet left tackle Joe Staley will be making his return to the field after breaking his leg in Week 2.

This means Justin Skule will most likely return to the bench, but how do you think he did? This is a rookie sixth-round draft pick after all. Brian Baldinger did a great Skule breakdown I’m listing below, but before we get to that, but first, is he the future?

Skule made rookie mistakes, but the only ugly sack I’m going to remember is that safety where he missed his block. That sack isn’t entirely on Skule’s shoulders because having Garoppolo drop back in the endzone is a strange play-call, but what do I know?

He was quite impressive in his first game against the Cleveland Browns, not giving up a single sack. The number continued against the blitz-happy Pittsburgh Steelers. He was bested later by the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald and taken to...um...school with the Panthers’ Bruce Irvin, but those are two names even the best have trouble against.

Against Washington, Skule had the team’s highest PFF grade with at least ten snaps.

Beyond that, I don’t have much to say about Skule. And if I’m not talking about Skule, that means he did his job. I argued that his game against Cleveland was the start of him making his case as the heir apparent to Joe Staley (though many thought that was the start-and-end-case-closed after one game) and after seven games, I think he’s made the coaching staff put him under consideration to get the gig when Staley hangs it up. He’s a rookie and still needs development, but while we were holding our breath with him coming in, the run game was still clicking and gashing defenses. It was like Staley never left. And if Skule isn’t a starting left tackle? Well, a sixth-round pick that can offer that kind of depth never hurt anyone.

Skule got the best scenario in the world too. Asked to come in, hold up while the starting left tackle heals up, got some NFL gameday experience, and can now go back to working on his craft without having too much dependency on him.

So how satisfied are you with Justin Skule? Do you think this sixth-round pick was a diamond in the rough and the possible left tackle of the future?

And now here’s your Baldy Breakdown: