Assess Oline currently on the roster

49ers O-line




Blaine Gabbert with the guitar trying not to get sacked.

Originally posted by BarrySandwich:

49ers O-line




Blaine Gabbert with the guitar trying not to get sacked.

That is as beautiful as it is painful.

The kid has better pocket presence than both of our current qb

I keep reading the topic title as Asses instead of assess

Originally posted by qnnhan7:
Not sure why people are so high on Tiller. I saw a few plays where he totally whiffed on his block, usually on a stunt. So much into his initial block that he couldn't see the other guy coming round. By the time he looks up, the guy is already past him to the qb.

Big guy. Slow feet.

He improved a lot with playing time. He went from about #45 in PFF grades to close the season as the #18 rated guard in the league. His run and pass blocking grades were near equal - a plus. Considering he had limited PT this past season, he should improve quite a bit with a full TC and time with the 1s.

I wouldn't agree he has slow feet. I believe he will improve his speed and quickness if he lost 10 pounds or so but I wouldn't say he is slow.

We might see Brandon Thomas develop this offseason particularly if we want power style guards.

We haven't see anything of him to make n assessment, no one should take anything from 2015 coaching choices, but with a bit of scheme variation focusing on power guards and athletic tackles maybe we'll see Thomas fit in better. In terms of my assessment:

Tier 1: Staley
Tier 2: no one
Tier 3: Boone, Kilgore, Tiller
Tier 4: Brown but I think he is arrow up
Tier 5: Devey, Pears, Martin (hes been awful for 2 seasons though I know he is young), Silberman.
Tier 6: Thomas, A Davis - he's missed a year and I have no idea if he's been staying in shape

Originally posted by NinerGM:
Boone is not coming back and I don't think the FO wants him back. He's skipped two offseason programs and that's not going to fly especially with Kelly who believe in everyone totally buying in. There's a reason neither camp has spoken. So IMHO, the OL only has ONE proven player I which you can have confidence - Staely. So we're looking at needing TWO guards, a center and a RT. Even if Davis comes back the entire line needs to be rebuilt. This should happen immediately.

With you on this and I would throw out Davis as well or trade him. If he had retired before FA and the draft I'd welcome him back but not after what he did.

Originally posted by Buchy:
We might see Brandon Thomas develop this offseason particularly if we want power style guards.

We haven't see anything of him to make n assessment, no one should take anything from 2015 coaching choices, but with a bit of scheme variation focusing on power guards and athletic tackles maybe we'll see Thomas fit in better. In terms of my assessment:

Tier 1: Staley
Tier 2: no one
Tier 3: Boone, Kilgore, Tiller
Tier 4: Brown but I think he is arrow up
Tier 5: Devey, Pears, Martin (hes been awful for 2 seasons though I know he is young), Silberman.
Tier 6: Thomas, A Davis - he's missed a year and I have no idea if he's been staying in shape

This is a wake up call to get the best proven FA we can.

IMO, we need 2 for the Oline - especially w/Boone going after Tackle money.

I am a HUGE Joe Staley fan. We have asked a ton from him over the years, and dude gets it done. He's been beaten a few times, but EVERYONE short of Walter Jones gets beaten a few times, and that dude was a once-in-a-lifetime LT. Tier 1

I don't get the question marks on Tiller. I was a huge critic of his early on, because his heavy eet and tendency to over-extend forced our coaching staff to dramatically alter their plan of developing the offense through the ZBS. In the last couple of games, it was clear to me that he had been working his butt off all season long to improve. He was consistently winning on his reach blocks on stretch plays, he got his head out of his blocks a little better and identified flowing LBs on run plays, and he maintained his violent punch and stout pass pro. I'd be a little more confident if he showed that success for a greater sample size, but it still represents an upward trend, and there's little reason to think he'd have gotten worse if the season was longer. I don't know if he can pull all the way around the formation like Chip asked his guards to do in Philly, but I said the same thing about him reaching the outside shoulder on a stretch run, and he got it by the end of the season. Dude seems to get how big of an opportunity he has here, and he's changing his body and technique to make it happen. It doesn't hurt his cause at all that Chip brought in an OC who has run some power in the past, and that Chip has stated that he's always looking to mix it up. Tier 2. I believe in this dude.


I'd like Brown and AD to compete for RT, and I hope Brown wins (and weighs 325). I hope Brown wins decisively enough that they make the call early and move AD to LG. I think he can make a dominant left side with Staley, and understudy the LT position very well. Brown is a monster i any run scheme, and he seems like a total pain in the ass to pass rush against. Dude needs to run, run, and run this off season. Brown Tier 4 (all based on how he shows up to the off season program). Davis Tier 2 if he shows up in shape; Tier 5 if he shows up fat or not at all.

I think Kilgore will do well in Chip's system. I don't believe he'll ever dominate an opponent, but he's tough, smart, and agile, and we can win with that at C. Tier 3

Devey could be a good athletic fit in Chip's system, but I think he's soft and weak, and I don't want to watch him play football ever again. Pears was a weakness all year. He had a couple okay games, some awful ones, and no particularly good ones. Martin has disappointed twice, and I think this off season is his last opportunity to earn a spot on this roster. I don't think he gets it done. Dude talked all last off season about how hard he was working, and he still looked fat and weak. Some dudes don't know what hard work is. Maybe he's one of those. Tier 5, all of 'em.

Thomas, Kelly, Silberman. Tier 6. Woulda been nice to see Silberman and Thomas get some game time, once it was clear that we were dead in the water.

All my opinion. I could be wrong.

Agree with you about moving Davis to guard if he returns. Tiller was one of the top graded guards in the league over the last few games according to PFF. The question on Brown is whether or not he'll be a good fit in Kelly's system or is more of a power blocking tackle. I think a front of Staley, Tiller, Kilgore, Davis, and Brown wouldn't be a bad place to start, assuming Davis comes back. If not maybe one of the other guys like Thomas, or the kid from Canada will step up. Agree with you about Martin. Seems like almost every game he played there were several times in each where he just got blown up by the guy facing him or just looked lost in terms of who he was supposed to be blocking.

Keep Staley, Kilgore, Brown, Tiller. Dump the rest.

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Agree with you about moving Davis to guard if he returns. Tiller was one of the top graded guards in the league over the last few games according to PFF. The question on Brown is whether or not he'll be a good fit in Kelly's system or is more of a power blocking tackle. I think a front of Staley, Tiller, Kilgore, Davis, and Brown wouldn't be a bad place to start, assuming Davis comes back. If not maybe one of the other guys like Thomas, or the kid from Canada will step up. Agree with you about Martin. Seems like almost every game he played there were several times in each where he just got blown up by the guy facing him or just looked lost in terms of who he was supposed to be blocking.

Brown can succeed in a gap/power scheme or in the ZBS. He's a freak. His reach blocks on stretch plays in the last two games were some of the most dominant, one-sided blocks I've seen in a while, and that's generally the toughest block on any zone run. His technique suffered later in each game, an I think he got worn out. He wasn't playing most of the season, and NFL games/seasons are longer than college. He didn't cut off the backside very well on a few zone runs away from him, but that's coachable. No big deal, from a long-term outlook.

NinerGM, i cannot believe that my "need OC, OG, and OT" has been raised by you to include one more OG. Ergo, we need OC, 2 OGs, 1 OT and they all have to be STARTERS. Getting 'Potential" or "Lots of talent", or "good deals" has not worked for trent. We need honest to God, guaranteed FOUR (4) starters on the OL. Now i had Brown inked in as a starter but conceded he would have days where he got beat, missed a block, etc. But by and large( and i do mean LARGE), he is going to be our starter. Still we need 4 starters on OL.

I find it incredible that there seems to be consensus on what I have posted for the last 6 months, and maybe back as far as November....and that is:

Devey, Pears, Martin....need to jettison these failures. I don't care about potential, these guys got plenty of PT and are just flat out failures. Cut them ASAP.

Boone. and Kilgore....have been in favor of cutting both , one due to can' t stay healthy and the other consistently gets beat. Cut or trade both, ASAP.

Thomas, Silberman, Tiller....hold onto these guys to see if they are more like devey, pears and martin or more like brown. Not enough PT yet and that is a screw up wiht JT at fault. Maybe he knew he was getting sacked and did not play these guys as much, doubling down on pears, martin, devey....UNFORTUNATELY.

In summary, Devey, pears and martin are gone for sure, and kilgore + boone, do not re-sign and trade the other.

Colin Kelly: am saying the beads and calling on football gods to have him be legit. Same goes for AD, but best we can hope at present is that of AD returns , he is like gravy. Didn't expect it but got it anyway. He would be a really welcome addition, but like Kelly, we just have to plan for them not to be here or not to perform,....but if they do...well then gravy.

It is almost inconceivable that 5 or our potential starters will not be here this yr, but that is what i belive will happen. We part ways with pears et al, and same with boone/kilgore.
It is also why i have been beating the drum for 3 OL STARTERS between FA and Draft, and also why i have expressed the need for taking 12 picks and turning those into an extra rd 1 pick and then an extra rd 2 pick. With those 4 picks I would like to see OT STARTER. OLB passrusher STARTER, DT STARTER, and OG STARTER. Now it matters not whether we get 3 starting OLs via FA or draft, but we need to buy an OC(FA) STARTER, buy an OG/OT STARTER, and then get an OT STARTER in draft. Now it looks like we need another OG from either draft or FA. Yikes. To NOT do so , however, will result in more Pears, Deveys, and Martins. No question trent does not have the magic picking OLs.

With the other 2 1st and 2nd rd picks we get our starting OLB passrushe, and starting DT. That still leaves us short a WR, but FA is my choice here....already a known quantity, and available. Pay him. Equally important, however, is admitting failure and deep sixing pears, devey, martin, kilgore, and boone. That is a lot of doing, and is a major move. Unfortunately, it needs doing. Oh, for Qbs, bring the top 20 UDFA QBs into camp, pay them all and give them all a good long look. I think chip is more likely to find a guy who fits his system better from 20 UDFAs, than from our #3 QB and kap or gab.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Agree with you about moving Davis to guard if he returns. Tiller was one of the top graded guards in the league over the last few games according to PFF. The question on Brown is whether or not he'll be a good fit in Kelly's system or is more of a power blocking tackle. I think a front of Staley, Tiller, Kilgore, Davis, and Brown wouldn't be a bad place to start, assuming Davis comes back. If not maybe one of the other guys like Thomas, or the kid from Canada will step up. Agree with you about Martin. Seems like almost every game he played there were several times in each where he just got blown up by the guy facing him or just looked lost in terms of who he was supposed to be blocking.

Brown can succeed in a gap/power scheme or in the ZBS. He's a freak. His reach blocks on stretch plays in the last two games were some of the most dominant, one-sided blocks I've seen in a while, and that's generally the toughest block on any zone run. His technique suffered later in each game, an I think he got worn out. He wasn't playing most of the season, and NFL games/seasons are longer than college. He didn't cut off the backside very well on a few zone runs away from him, but that's coachable. No big deal, from a long-term outlook.

Do you think they'd put AD back at RT and try Brown at LG???

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
I am a HUGE Joe Staley fan. We have asked a ton from him over the years, and dude gets it done. He's been beaten a few times, but EVERYONE short of Walter Jones gets beaten a few times, and that dude was a once-in-a-lifetime LT. Tier 1

I don't get the question marks on Tiller. I was a huge critic of his early on, because his heavy eet and tendency to over-extend forced our coaching staff to dramatically alter their plan of developing the offense through the ZBS. In the last couple of games, it was clear to me that he had been working his butt off all season long to improve. He was consistently winning on his reach blocks on stretch plays, he got his head out of his blocks a little better and identified flowing LBs on run plays, and he maintained his violent punch and stout pass pro. I'd be a little more confident if he showed that success for a greater sample size, but it still represents an upward trend, and there's little reason to think he'd have gotten worse if the season was longer. I don't know if he can pull all the way around the formation like Chip asked his guards to do in Philly, but I said the same thing about him reaching the outside shoulder on a stretch run, and he got it by the end of the season. Dude seems to get how big of an opportunity he has here, and he's changing his body and technique to make it happen. It doesn't hurt his cause at all that Chip brought in an OC who has run some power in the past, and that Chip has stated that he's always looking to mix it up. Tier 2. I believe in this dude.


I'd like Brown and AD to compete for RT, and I hope Brown wins (and weighs 325). I hope Brown wins decisively enough that they make the call early and move AD to LG. I think he can make a dominant left side with Staley, and understudy the LT position very well. Brown is a monster i any run scheme, and he seems like a total pain in the ass to pass rush against. Dude needs to run, run, and run this off season. Brown Tier 4 (all based on how he shows up to the off season program). Davis Tier 2 if he shows up in shape; Tier 5 if he shows up fat or not at all.

I think Kilgore will do well in Chip's system. I don't believe he'll ever dominate an opponent, but he's tough, smart, and agile, and we can win with that at C. Tier 3

Devey could be a good athletic fit in Chip's system, but I think he's soft and weak, and I don't want to watch him play football ever again. Pears was a weakness all year. He had a couple okay games, some awful ones, and no particularly good ones. Martin has disappointed twice, and I think this off season is his last opportunity to earn a spot on this roster. I don't think he gets it done. Dude talked all last off season about how hard he was working, and he still looked fat and weak. Some dudes don't know what hard work is. Maybe he's one of those. Tier 5, all of 'em.

Thomas, Kelly, Silberman. Tier 6. Woulda been nice to see Silberman and Thomas get some game time, once it was clear that we were dead in the water.

All my opinion. I could be wrong.

I damn near fell out of my seat seeing this...a WRATH OL assessment. That's gold!

And BTW, I could not agree more!

I'll tier them a bit differently for fun b/c we have some young ones:
LT: Joe Staley - Tier 1 (no question)
LG/LT: Alex Boone - Tier 3 (quality starter with average play but added versatility to play T)
LG: Andrew Tiller - Tier 2 (right now and has the potential to become Tier 1; what a find)
LG: Jordan Devey - Tier 11
C: Daniel Kilgore - Tier 3 (potential to be Tier 2; that's his ceiling)
C: Ian Silberman - Tier ? (athletic OL who may have a home here now under Chip Kelly's scheme)
RG: Erik Pears - Tier 10
RG: Brandon Thomas - Tier 3 (potential to become Tier 1; he has that much ability but he is the biggest mystery on the team)
RG: Marcus Martin - Tier 4 (potential to become Tier 2 at RG only)
RT: Trenton Brown - Tier 2 (right now and has the potential to become Tier 1; based off a very small sample size but already showing dominant flashes that I haven't seen since Larry Allen in the run game and he's just impossible to get around; 1 QB pressure in something like 94 snaps and he's not even close to being refined yet)
RT: Anthony Davis - Tier 2 (talent-wise, he can step on the field after a year off and be a Tier 2 player but heart and emotional IQ tends to keep him from reaching that Tier 1 level of which, he could certainly obtain)
RT: Colin Kelly - Tier ? (Chip Kelly loves this guy so it will be fun to watch)