The San Francisco 49ers have faced some serious roster turnover with their offensive line, as left guard Laken Tomlinson went to the New York Jets in free agency, while center Alex Mack chose to retire after one season with the organization.
In addition, right tackle Mike McGlinchey is coming off a torn quadriceps injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2021 NFL season, although head coach Kyle Shanahan believes the Notre Dame product should be ready for training camp.
Earlier this week, PFF's Mike Renner conducted his offensive line rankings for 2022 with several tiers: Minor or no weaknesses(tier 1), high floor(tier 2), high-end potential(tier 3), at least one good tackle(tier 4), uninspiring(tier 5), and problematic(tier 6).
Renner placed the 49ers' offensive line in the third tier, ranking them 14th overall amongst the NFL, and projected Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Daniel Brunskill, and Mike McGlinchey as the starters from left to right.
"[Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey] is one heck of a tackle duo, but the interior is a hodgepodge of unproven youngsters," Renner wrote. "The player to keep an eye on is former second-round guard Aaron Banks, who played just five snaps as a rookie in 2021. But he's a former second-rounder and has a golden opportunity to replace Laken Tomlinson on the left side."
Renner ranked the 49ers' offensive line as the second-best in the division, with the Rams coming in at No.11, and the Cardinals and Seahawks coming in at No. 25 and No. 32, respectively.
While left tackle Trent Williams was a first-team All-Pro in 2021, there are questions attached to each of the other four offensive line spots, justifying the ranking for now.