49ers: Ranking the top 5 building blocks on the roster

3. George Kittle, TE

Building blocks on a team usually begin on the offensive side of the ball and the 49ers already have a few pieces in place to build around. If I’m building a franchise my first choice to build around would be the beloved star tight end, George Kittle.

Kittle is truly becoming a once in a generational type of player and the ceiling hasn’t even been touched yet. In 2018, Kittle had a record-setting season as he racked up the most yards by a tight end finishing with 1,377 yards.

Although his numbers have slightly dipped in 2019, it certainly had nothing to do with lack of effort, just ask the New Orleans secondary.

Kittle, along with the rest of San Francisco’s offense, will look to build off the heartbreak suffered in Super Bowl LIV. As long as No. 85 is in the lineup, I suggest grabbing a nice warm bucket of butter-drizzled popcorn so you can enjoy the show.

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4. Deebo Samuel, WR

Speaking of a show, how much fun was it watching Deebo Samuel last year? It seems like the youthful product out of South Carolina really flourished in his first season under Kyle Shanahan.

The fascinating element for a player like Samuel is the versatility that he’s capable of bringing to any offense, let-alone a Shanahan juggernaut type of offense.

Samuel hauled in 57 receptions to go along with 802 receiving yards during his first NFL campaign, and if all goes according to plan in year two, we should definitely see a significant jump.

5. Mike McGlinchey, OT

My final selection is someone who’s been groomed by a future Hall of Famer (Joe Staley), and a staple along the offensive line, Mike McGlinchey. In the 12 games he started, McGlinchey earned an overall grade of 67.5, with six penalties and five sacks allowed, per Pro Football Focus.

There is no doubt about the pressure to fill the shoes of a living legend such as Staley’s, but with the fresh sting of the Super Bowl loss, coupled with the addition of another Pro Bowl tackle in Trent Williams, I’m extremely optimistic about McGlinchey’s progression.