49ers position battles: Guard

June 23, 1:19 AMSan Francisco 49ers ExaminerSamuel Lam

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As we take a closer look at the offensive line, the guard position has been given some attention this past season with Mike Singletary promoting the youth movement. Last year we saw the development of then rookie guard Chilo Rachal right into the starting lineup.

Let's take a look at the roster.

Currently on roster:

• David Baas (entering 5th year)
• Tony Wragge (entering 5th year)
• Kyle Howard (entering 1st year)
• Chilo Rachal (entering 2nd year)
• Matthew Huners (entering 1st year)
• Adam Snyder (entering 5th year)

When Singletary took over as the head coach, he promoted the team's need to use young talent for the future. One of his first examples of this was bringing Rachal as the teams' right guard. It has worked out great as the rookie has provided a steady does of protection for the 49ers backfield.

Chilo Rachal looks to maintain his position as the starting right guard. Last year, Tony Wragge got a good portion of time at guard as well. With the experience that Wragge has gotten while with the team since 2005, the right guard position looks to be extremely solid.

Over at left guard, we saw David Baas take some time as Adam Snyder's backup. Baas might end up taking over at the guard position if Snyder makes a permanent move to backup right tackle.

The hardest part about the guard position is that there are so many moves throughout the year. If a tackle goes down, a guard usually can fill in that role. But right now, it looks like that Rachal and Baas could take over the starting guard positions. But with the switching the team did last year, there could be more switching this year (which isn't bad) since the team did a lot of that and the players are prepared for it.

But as of now, we look to see Wragge backup Rachal and possibly Snyder and Baas figure into the other guard position. And of course, we don't know if any tackles might try to figure into the mix. I'll break down the tackle position later. That should give us an idea of which players are on the bubble to move around.

For more 49ers news: Visit my other site Mining the Gold Rush or the 49ers' official blog at Goal Posts.
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