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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - San Francisco 49ers

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Joe Staley
Left Guard: Mike Iupati
Center: Eric Heitmann
Right Guard: Chilo Rachal
Right Tackle: Anthony Davis

2009 Injuries:
T Joe Staley: Weeks 9-14, 17

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
The San Francisco 49ers seem to be headed in the right direction after winning eight games for the first time since 2002 when they won ten. They had a much improved defense in 2009 but their offense ranked in the bottom ten in yards of offense for the sixth straight year. Their offensive line wasn’t anything special but it was much better than in 2008 when they allowed 55 sacks.

Starting at left tackle will be the former first round pick Joe Staley. Staley was impressive in the past two seasons at left tackle after spending his rookie year on the other side of the line. The 6’5” and 315 lbs lineman was a tight end in his freshman year in college and managed to become much stronger without losing much speed. He is a good pass blocking tackle because of his great footwork and quickness which is the main reason why he is a better fit on the left side. His run blocking is below average for an NFL tackle but he should improve in that area as he is a very hard worker willing to do anything in order to become a better player. Staley is now fully recovered from the knee injury which forced him to miss seven games last season and he should be a slightly above average left tackle in 2010. Starting opposite of him will be the 11^th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Anthony Davis. The 6’6” and 325 lbs tackle has the strength to be a solid run blocker in the NFL and also has the arm length to be very good in pass protection. He is quite athletic for a man his size and will probably move to left tackle eventually because of those quick feet. If Davis isn’t ready to start yet, which we believe is quite unlikely, last year’s starting right tackle Adam Snyder would retain his job. Snyder wasn’t bad in run blocking but his ten sacks allowed ranked him last in the NFL amongst right tackles. Snyder is a well below average starting tackle but he also has the ability to play guard and would be a pretty good backup. The 35-year old Barry Sims, who started seven games at left tackle in place of Staley, also adds depth.

Mike Iupati, the other 49ers first round pick in 2010, will likely start at left guard. Iupati was rated as the number one offensive guard in the draft by pretty much all experts and should be a starter from day one. The 6’5 and 330 lbs guard out of Idaho is very strong and should be a force as a run blocker in the NFL. He is pretty athletic for his size but he will struggle with his footwork and will make mental mistakes at times. He still has plenty to learn but his run blocking abilities will likely earn him a starting job and make him an effective guard in his rookie year. Last year’s starter at right guard, Chilo Rachal, will be the full-time starter for the second straight year. He started off very slow allowing three sacks in his first six games but picked it up by allowing only one in his final ten. In those final ten games, he was above average in both pass protection and run blocking and there’s no reason why he can’t continue to play like that in 2010. The 24-year old has the potential to be a very good guard in the NFL but he must show that he can be consistent for a full season. Last year’s starting left guard David Baas will be the top backup at guard. He has been a pretty good starter in the past two years but he isn’t a very good fit in this offense. Despite his size, he has been a below average run blocker in the past two years. Nonetheless, he has been impressive in pass protection and there is no doubt that he is good enough to start somewhere in the NFL but he will have to settle for a backup role this year.

Eric Heitmann will return as the starting center for a fifth consecutive season after playing at guard in his first few NFL seasons. Heitmann suffered a broken leg at the end of the 2006 season which seemed to bother him throughout the 2007 season but he looked much better in the past two years. He is not particularly strong or quick but has good enough abilities to be an average starting center in the NFL. The 49ers drafted Cody Wallace out of Texas A&M in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, probably because they were worried about Heitmann, but he has stepped up his game since then.

2010 Outlook:
The 49ers offensive line showed some pretty good improvement last year and things should be even better in 2010. All six players who saw significant playing time last year will be back and the 49ers have added two mid first round picks to compete with them. The line should also be better if Joe Staley can stay healthy for all 16 games. After Alex Smith took over the starting quarterback job in the second half of the week seven game against the Texans, he was only sacked 22 times and the running game averaged almost 4.5 yards per carry. Sims, Snyder and Baas give them a solid backup at every position on the line and Iupati should make the running game even better than last year. This line should be at least as good as they were last year because they have good depth and all the starters are back on the roster. The most important thing however is that they have excellent upside which means that this offense could surprise in 2010.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles