With 49ers OTAs in full swing, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the team’s roster to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, potential dark horses to make the team and other nuggets about the players who will be competing for jobs on the 53-man roster.
Having 100 percent continuity on the offensive line wasn’t realistic for the 49ers this offseason. Starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey was going to get paid in free agency well above what San Francisco was either willing or able to afford. However, keeping as much continuity as possible was a clear goal up front, and they appear to have a starting offensive line intact.
While the offensive front held up okay last season, it wouldn’t have been outrageous had the 49ers brought in competition at any interior spot or at right tackle where 2020 fifth-round pick Colton McKivitz figures to be the starter. There’ll be some semblance of competition like there is at every position, but it would take something major for the 49ers to roll out any new starters aside from right tackle.
The rest of the depth chart is still up for grabs though, which makes the offensive line an intriguing unit heading into training camp.
Let’s look at what the 49ers are working with their offensive line on the 90-man roster:
LT Trent Williams
There isn’t much to say here. Williams is one of the best players in the league at any position. His presence is essential for San Francisco since even a quality backup would be a catastrophic drop off.
RT Colton McKivitz
McKivitz has been given the starting right tackle spot going into camp. The 49ers sent a loud signal about his job security when they used zero of their nine draft picks on offensive linemen and didn’t make any significant free agency moves to push McKivitz. They’re betting big on a player who has acquitted himself well in limited action. If he’s at least an average right tackle it’d be a big win on the O-line.
C Jake Brendel
It was an impressive first full seasons as a starter for Brendel in 2022. He wound up having multiple suitors in free agency and signing a four-year deal to stay in San Francisco. Center has been a key position for head coach Kyle Shanahan, and it appears Brendel finally found a long-term home seven years after originally joining the NFL in 2016.
LG Aaron Banks
There were significant question marks around Banks going into 2022 after he didn’t play as a rookie second-round pick in 2021. He held the starting left guard job and played well alongside Williams. Talent was never a question for Banks, it was just a matter of whether he could get his body where it needed to be to perform in the offense. Now his arrow is pointing up ahead of the 2023 campaign.
RG Spencer Burford
Burford had a wild rookie season last year. He won the starting right guard job out of camp and held the position for all 16 games he played. However, he played on a rotational basis with veteran Daniel Brunskill. With Brunskill gone, the job is Burford’s with no major competition behind him. With a full season under his belt, the 2022 fourth-round pick should take a step forward in Year 2.
Jon Feliciano
If there’s any player who could overtake one of the starting interior jobs, it’s Feliciano. However, he’s more likely going to be a do-everything reserve on a line that doesn’t have a ton of quality depth. Feliciano has played all three interior spots in his career so having that kind of versatility on the bench will be valuable. Perhaps one of the interior OL have a disastrous camp and the 49ers turn to the 31-year-old, but ideally he’ll be a backup.
Jaylon Moore
There’s a very real chance Moore wins the swing tackle job. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft with the idea that he’d move inside as a pro following a college career where he exclusively played left tackle. That move never came and he wound up sticking as a backup on the outside. Given the lack of depth at that spot it stands to reason he stays at his natural position instead of kicking inside for the first time in his career.
Jason Poe
Poe was a UDFA darling last year who had some believing he would land on the final roster as an undersized interior offensive lineman. He wound up sticking on the practice squad. If he takes another step from where he was last year there’s a real shot for him to make the roster this year as a reserve.
Matt Pryor
Versatility is on Pryor’s side as he tries to make the team in his first year with the 49ers. He primarily plays tackle, but he also spent some time at guard during his second season with the Eagles in 2020. Pryor should compete for the swing tackle job, and the ability to move inside will only help his case. The 2019 sixth-round pick of the Eagles has played in 60 games with 24 starts in his career, including 14 starts the last two years with the Colts.
Keith Ismael
Washington picked Ismael out of San Diego State in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. His time in DC was short with five starts at center in 18 games played across two seasons. He finished last year on the 49ers practice squad. Ismael is one of a handful of options for center depth, though a lack of versatility may push him back to the practice squad.
Nick Zakelj
There was some speculation that Zakelj might get to stay at his natural tackle spot after being drafted in the sixth round last year. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster made it clear the team is working on getting him up to speed at center, which could diminish Zakelj’s chances of landing on the roster.
Leroy Watson
Watson was Burford’s college teammate at UTSA, although they weren’t both offensive linemen at that time. Watson was a tight end for the Roadrunners and his days as an offensive lineman were foreshadowed by the amount of time he spent blocking. In three years at UTSA he played in 37 games, but only caught 25 balls for 297 yards and two touchdowns. He’s put on weight as a pro and has yet to make his debut, although he did spend time with the Falcons and Patriots last season.
Ilm Manning
Manning played a ton of football at the University of Hawaii. The undrafted rookie started 60 (!!) of the 62 (!!!) games he played across five seasons. He was strictly a left tackle, but at 6-2, 294 pounds he projects as an interior OL in the NFL.
Joey Fisher
Fisher signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie this year. Dane Brugler of the Athletic projected he’d go in the fifth or sixth round, so there’s a chance Fisher makes a little noise. He turns 26 this season after a wild college football journey that began in 2016. He didn’t play in a college game until 2019 when he arrived at Shepherd and started all 13 games at right tackle. While he started all 43 games he played at right tackle, his long-term future is probably at guard thanks to his 6-4, 296-pound frame. Chances are, despite his advanced age, his route to sticking around is through the practice squad.
Corey Luciano
Luciano spent four years at the University of Washington and didn’t snag a starting job until his final season when he started all 13 games at center for the Huskies. He’s likely to move around the offensive line as the 49ers try to see if there’s a spot on the practice squad for him.
Alfredo Gutierrez
The vibes with Gutierrez are so, so good. Shoutout to him. Fingers crossed his gets more action in the preseason this year after making his pro debut vs. the Vikings with one snap in the second preseason game. He’s on the 49ers’ roster via the NFL’s international pathway program.
State of the Roster
Here are the other positions covered so far in our State of the Roster series:
