No. 2: Offensive Guard Joshua Garnett

Former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke had a big weakness — one of many, which included selecting players in the NFL Draft who weren’t exactly tailored for his head coaches’ schemes.

In 2016, Stanford offensive guard Joshua Garnett was another example. Despite being an Outland Trophy recipient (awarded to the best interior lineman in college football) that year, Garnett primarily played in a power-run scheme. Not the inside zone then-head coach Chip Kelly employed in San Francisco.

Heading into 2017, Garnett figured to be a bit more adjusted to a zone-style offense under Kyle Shanahan, whose outside-zone system had some moderate-but-not-drastic differences from that of Kelly. Yet Garnett missed all of last year with a knee injury, subsequently being asked to trim his weight in order to move better in the more-athletic zone scheme.

Still, Garnett will be under a microscope this season. The 49ers signed oft-injured guard Jonathan Cooper off the free-agent pile this offseason. And his $4.86 million contract is a hint the Niners would like him to start. And with fellow guard Laken Tomlinson locked up with a three-year extension this offseason, Garnett is in danger of losing out on a starting opportunity.

If there’s anything going in Garnett’s favor, it’s the fact Cooper is still recovering from offseason MCL surgery and has yet to be cleared to practice. In fact, he hasn’t participated in any of San Francisco’s offseason activities to date. That doesn’t bode well for his chances to start, which allows Garnett a slightly better chance to stick around into the regular season.

Yet Garnett’s expectation level will be pretty high this season. If he doesn’t seize it, it’s likely the former first-round pick won’t be part of the 49ers’ long-term plans.

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