Jon Feliciano has Improved the 49ers Offensive Line
The 49ers signed Jon Feliciano this offseason to be a backup even though he was a starter the past four years. Now he has started the past three games for the 49ers, and they need to keep him on the field, because he clearly has improved their offensive line.
First, he filled in for injured left guard Aaron Banks, who had turf toe. Banks is the 49ers’ biggest, most powerful offensive lineman. He plays next to Trent Williams, and that’s the point of attack for the 49ers’ run game. Whenever they want to push back defensive linemen and create a new line of scrimmage downfield, they run to the left. So those offensive linemen must be strong.
Feliciano was strong enough to fill in for Banks. The 49ers’ left-side run game remained effective.
Then on Thanksgiving, Feliciano moved to right guard to fill in for Spencer Burford, who had a knee injury. The right side of the 49ers’ offensive line is much smaller and quicker than the left side. Which means the right side is designed merely for cutback runs, outside zone runs and jet sweeps.
Feliciano executed these blocking assignments beautifully — much better than Spencer Burford, who has been a liability since the 49ers drafted him in 2022, because he’s extremely young, he’s not particularly strong and he misses blocks downfield. So the 49ers’ right-side run game has been nearly non-existent the past two seasons.
Now that Feliciano is at right guard, the 49ers finally can run to their right again. They need to leave him at right guard for the rest of the season. Let’s see if they do.
