If you poll San Francisco 49ers fans about the team's offensive line, most will be quick to point out the need for upgrades outside of left tackle Trent Williams and emerging right guard Dominick Puni. Two key areas of concern remain at left guard and center.
While the starting left guard spot is still undecided and will be determined through a training camp competition, center Jake Brendel has held the starting role since 2022.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Mason Cameron recently released his ranking of the NFL's top 32 centers, with Brendel landing at No. 24.
"While Brendel has stumbled as a pass blocker over the past two seasons, he continues to showcase his ability as a run blocker," Cameron wrote. "The 49ers veteran produced a 70.0-plus PFF run-blocking grade in 2023 and 2024, garnering a top-15 rank at the position over that span."
While his run-blocking grades haven't dipped below 71.6 over the past two seasons, Brendel has never earned an overall PFF offensive grade higher than 66.3 during his tenure with the 49ers—or throughout his NFL career. His pass protection has been a concern, posting grades of 45.3 in 2023 and 55.1 in 2024.
Brendel has surrendered 59 pressures over the last two seasons and was flagged for 10 penalties in 2024, one of which was declined or offset, according to PFF. That total was more than any other 49ers offensive lineman last season.
Still, Brendel is expected to remain the starting center heading into the 2025 season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has consistently voiced his support, insisting Brendel is better at pass protection than the analytics suggest.
"I thought Jake played well," Shanahan said in April. "When you study centers throughout the league, and things like that, and you watch all these guys, I think Jake's up there when it comes to his pass protection.
"A lot of these guys get mismatched against [nose tackles] and some of the D-tackles they've got to go against. I think Jake does protection as good as anyone in this league, and I think he's always been a very good run player for us, too."