San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spent considerable effort revamping his offensive line back in 2018, bringing aboard high-profile free-agent center Weston Richburg and then selecting former Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey with the team’s first pick in that year’s NFL Draft.
The idea was to create a run-first unit. And for the most part, Shanahan succeeded. The Niners managed over 1,900 rush yards last year despite losing their would-be starter, running back Jerick McKinnon, to an ACL injury before Week 1 even began. Football Outsiders even ranked San Francisco’s run-blocking efforts 10th overall in the league last year.