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Pro Football Focus ranked every offensive line heading into the 2019 season and has the San Francisco 49ers ranked 16th. A few weeks back, PFF listed Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey as the third-best tackle duo in the NFL. Here’s their analysis on the Niners offensive line:
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
Left Tackle: Joe Staley
Left Guard: Laken Tomlinson
Center: Weston Richburg
Right Guard: Mike Person
Right Tackle: Mike McGlinchey
There are no two ways about it, Joe Staley is as good as they come at the left tackle spot. He’s earned an overall grade above 80.0 in each of the past seven years, and he’s the only left tackle in the NFL who has earned pass-blocking and run-blocking grades above 70.0 in each of the past three. On the other side of the line, Mike McGlinchey didn’t wow in pass protection a season ago — he allowed 39 pressures from 632 snaps, and his 64.2 pass-blocking grade ranked 65th among 82 qualifying tackles — but he was exceptional in the run game. The Notre Dame product paved the way for Matt Breida & Co. all season long, earning the league’s third-best run-blocking grade (78.2) in the process.
If Laken Tomlinson can take the step from good — he’s earned pass-blocking grades of 70.0 or higher in three of his four professional seasons — to great in 2019, and if center Weston Richburg can recapture the kind of form that earned an 89.3 overall grade back in 2015, this unit has the potential to way outperform its ranking here.
McGlinchey showed promise as a rookie. For an offensive tackle that’s drafted in the top ten, you’re going to face plenty of pressure. He’s going to be better in his second year based on what he was exposed to as a rookie. McGlinchey would be the least of my worries.
If Tomlinson remains “good,” that’s fine. Richburg and right guard are the question marks. Richburg had been a stud every year except for last year. A year removed from the injury, we should see the Richburg that was a Pro Bowl snub when he was healthy.