49ers keeping true to offensive line philosophy

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- From the outside, the math was simple: the San Francisco 49ers could use offensive line help, the NFL draft boasted plenty of O-line talent and the Niners had a first-round pick for the first time since 2021.

Add it up and plenty of signs pointed to the 49ers either grabbing a right tackle to compete with Colton McKivitz or a plug-and-play guard or center.

Alas, the Niners selected a wide receiver and a cornerback in the first two rounds. It was right in line with what the Niners have done since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch arrived in 2017, as they've only used a first- or second-round pick on an offensive lineman twice (OT Mike McGlinchey, first round, 2018; G Aaron Banks, second round, 2021).

The draft followed a free agent period in which the Niners did not invest in a starting-caliber lineman. All of which leads to an indisputable truth -- the outside offensive line calculus doesn't match up with how the 49ers operate.

It's no coincidence the Niners have been hesitant to use early draft picks on the offensive line.

"If they ask me, [I say] invest in guys that touch the ball and score touchdowns," offensive line coach Chris Foerster said. "And then there's a range of guys, second, third, fourth round, fifth round even, that we will find starting offensive linemen."

While Foerster clarified that his opinion is not necessarily the same as Shanahan and Lynch, the results make it clear that Foerster's take influences the decisions being made.

It's a philosophy that has drawn the ire of a fan base that is desperate for a sixth Lombardi Trophy, which has seen an offensive line that has been mostly solid but has repeatedly let down in key moments.

There was Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones' takeover late in Super Bowl LIV. There was Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald wrecking the NFC Championship Game in 2021 and the Eagles' Haason Reddick injuring quarterback Brock Purdy's elbow in the 2022 NFC Championship Game. Then it was Jones again darting through an opening created by a missed assignment from guard Spencer Burford on a key third-and-4 in overtime of another loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVIII.

Despite those missteps, the Niners have remained firm in their belief that the line is better than others think, and that having elite skill position players means the linemen don't have to be dominant for the offense to succeed.

The result is a collection of skill talent that includes running back Christian McCaffrey, receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle. Left tackle Trent Williams is the unquestioned star of the offensive line and though the Niners paid him as the top tackle in the league, they acquired him for the bargain price of a third- and fifth-round pick.

In late May, Foerster recalled a conversation he had with Jedd Fisch, a former NFL assistant and current head coach at the University of Washington, in the early 2000s. Foerster and Fisch watched the Patriots offense and saw Tom Brady and a cadre of skill position stars light up the scoreboard with a relatively anonymous offensive line.

Legendary line coach Dante Scarnecchia coached up the line to work well in a system that everybody believed in. The key, according to Foerster, is identifying players who can reach "the line" of demarcation between solid player and "can't block anybody."

"There's a line below which that with offensive line play that if you just drop a little bit below it, it's a gaping hole," Foerster said. "All of a sudden, you're like, 'He can't block anybody.' And now we got a major problem. But as long as they're at that line and just above it, you can survive it and you can take care of them."

Much of San Francisco's offensive line approach is rooted in an unwavering belief in Shanahan's system. Not only does it create big lanes for runners and open spaces for pass catchers, but it emphasizes finding offensive linemen who possess particular qualities.

Namely, the Niners want athletic linemen who are quick and agile enough to reach defenders at the second and third level and intelligent enough to grasp all the angles and footwork required to make the scheme work.

To that end, there are certain drills the Niners lean into when evaluating talent, most notably the short shuttle, the first 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash and three-cone drills that measure short-area quickness. It's no coincidence that both offensive linemen the Niners drafted -- guards Dominick Puni and Jarrett Kingston -- were among the six offensive line prospects who ran a 4.47 or better in the short shuttle at the NFL combine.

Since 2010, 28 offensive linemen ran a 4.47 or better in the short shuttle at the combine, with 24 of those players drafted. Those 24 went on to start 84% of their NFL games, according to Josh Norris of UnderdogFantasy.com.

"We want to know how quick they are and that's one of the measures to it," Shanahan said. "That is one of the main things starting when I first got into football ... And then you start to watch it with kind of everybody and I think when you talk to guards and running the ball and coming off the ball fast like we ask them to do and reach three techniques and things like that, quickness is probably the most important thing."

While the Niners' offensive line approach has yielded top-of-the-league offensive production, they still have lingering questions about what happens when championships are on the line. The 49ers were 20th in the NFL in pass block win rate in 2023 (55.6%) and though that number jumped to 74.5% in the postseason, it fell to 36.4% in the fourth quarter and overtime of the Super Bowl.

Despite that, the Niners appear content to run it back with the same starting five, though Puni and Burford could push Jon Feliciano for the right guard job. There were multiple tackles they liked in the draft, including Washington's Roger Rosengarten, who went one pick before their second-round choice.

Ultimately, none of the players they identified as potential early fits were available at a point where the need met the value.

"I think there's not a lot of people that have the skill set to play tackle, so it reduces the pool," said Tariq Ahmad, the Niners director of player personnel. "And also, they typically go pretty early, so there's obviously a lot that we like early on in the draft, but then we are very selective of those guys."

For now, San Francisco's hope is that another year of continuity will eliminate the mental mistakes such as Burford's, allowing the line to hold up in the most critical moments. At least long enough for one of their stars to make something happen with the ball in his hands and a championship up for grabs.

"You can throw a short pass to Deebo even though the right tackle's getting beat, it ends up being a 60-yard touchdown," Foerster said. "So yeah, the right tackle blocks somebody, but if the guy gets tackled at five yards, you don't have the 60-yard touchdown.

"'Boy, that right tackle did a great job.' What does it matter if the guy touching the ball can't take it to the house? So, there's the trade off and you're constantly playing that game."