Richburg is Now Centerpiece of 49ers’ Offensive Line

Already, the 49ers have been very active in free agency, bringing in center Weston Richburg from the Giants, cornerback Richard Sherman from the Seahawks and running back Jerick McKinnon from the Vikings.Though Sherman and McKinnon will get most of the attention in 2018, Richburg's contributions could turn out to be the biggest. Richburg immediately makes the offensive line better – with the draft still to come. And, the analytic website Pro Football Focus indicated Richburg's addition is an upgrade over Daniel Kilgore."(Richburg) … is one of the league's best when healthy, especially if he gets back to his 2015 form that saw him grade" as one of the NFL's best, said PFF.Plus, the former Giants standout gives 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan a very mobile, athletic center, a position Shanahan believes is a key to how effective his offense can be, noted Joe Fann, who writes for 49ers.com.When Shanahan was offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, the team brought in Pro Bowl center Alex Mack from the Browns, where Shanahan previously had coached. Mack, perhaps the NFL's best center, took the offensive line's performance up a notch with the way he led the unit and was...