Right tackle play is a concerning matchup projection for the 49ers

One of the magics of the Kyle Shanahan system is how much it can elevate offensive line play. Left tackle Trent Williams is obviously a talented, premier player, but even he has played the best football of his career. Center Jake Brendel is another proof of concept. But the San Francisco 49ers still have a […]

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer
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Colton McKivitz
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

One of the magics of the Kyle Shanahan system is how much it can elevate offensive line play. Left tackle Trent Williams is obviously a talented, premier player, but even he has played the best football of his career. Center Jake Brendel is another proof of concept. But the San Francisco 49ers still have a huge concern ahead of the Super Bowl, and that's right tackle Colton McKivitz.

It's not exactly a new scenario, since Mike McGlinchey is his predecessor and started Super Bowl LIV four years ago. But it's a tier below.

During the 2019 season, McGlinchey allowed 22 pressures. That's not even close to what McKivitz did this year, allowing 47 pressures and nine sacks. The former 49ers right tackle had a 67.2 run blocking grade that season according to PFF, and even though it was one of his worst seasons in that regard, it was still much better than the 56.4 run blocking grade McKivitz had this season.

It's not that the 49ers should have topped the Denver Broncos 5-year, $87.5 million offer, but the replacement wasn't ideal and gives something for the Kansas City Chiefs to exploit on Sunday.

What happened

One of the worst offensive games the 49ers played this season was against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7. It's a Brian Flores-led defense with exotic schemes, leading the league in blitz and drop 8. Colton McKivitz was overwhelmed, allowing six pressures.

During the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan tried to give McKivitz confidence, putting the blame on himself for some of the mistakes.

"He is what we expected. He's played like a really good right tackle. If we didn't think he was going to be a really good right tackle, we would've gone and tried to get someone we thought would be a really good right tackle," Shanahan said during the year. "He's really earned our trust here. When he got to play last year when Mike (McGlinchey) was down, we thought he played at a very high level. When you get to see guys do that in practice and then carry it over to the field, it doesn't make the guesswork that hard."

What can happen

Just like the Vikings, the Chiefs have one of the most aggressive and varied defensive philosophies in the NFL under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. And that confusion generated by different packages of pressures can be a problem for a struggling right tackle.

A solid example of the risk involves something that Shanahan frequently uses on his offense: condensed formations.

San Francisco has the shortest average distance between players on the extreme left and the extreme right in the entire NFL, which means nobody uses more condensed formations than Shanahan. And when Spagnuolo sees that, he tends to send a cornerback blitz.

And that's not the only factor. Sure, the Chiefs lost Charles Omenihu who was placed on IR with an ACL injury he suffered during the AFC Championship Game. But Kansas City still has George Karlaftis and, more importantly, Chris Jones.

The defensive tackle plays better in the interior of the defensive line on a down to down basis, but he is a versatile piece who eventually lines up on the edge to take advantage of favorable matchups. That's exactly what happened last season, when the Chiefs exploited McGlinchey, and that certainly can happen again in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers haven't played their best football in the playoffs, but the overwhelming talent and the ability to perform in high-pressure moments have been decisive for the team to beat the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. The talent-level against the Chiefs is not that different, but Shanahan compared McKivitz' mental approach to Brock Purdy's during the season.

"That's how it was with Brock Purdy the year before. There's nothing you need to see, you saw it all," Shanahan said. "Are they made of the right stuff? Can they continue to do it? That stuff's huge. I know that first game, you get sacks and that's going to be what jumps out. But half of those were my fault. I can't call some of those passes and put him on T.J. Watt at that time in the game, but Colton would never say that. Colton battles and isn't worried about any of that stuff. I think he's become one of the more confident players on our team. I think it shows over in the games."

McKivitz is a player to watch. And if his mental approach helps him survive the game, the 49ers will have a much clearer path to win it all.

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