Joshua Garnett, Mike Person and the unpredictability of competition

The San Francisco 49ers offensive line is an ideal place to look at just how competition can upend roster predictions for any team.

On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers conducted a minor transaction in an attempt to secure their offensive line for the foreseeable future. Adam Schefter broke the news and only the most fervent of 49ers sites wrote anything up about the extension given to offensive lineman Mike Person.

If anything, it was a brief news hit that was quickly overwhelmed by pretty much anything else on Twitter at the time.

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However, if you pan the camera back on not only Person’s new three-year extension (with $3 million guaranteed) but the entire position, the 49ers line shows an interesting cycle that shows the importance of competition at every position—and how a man’s draft pedigree means nothing at all when it comes down to roster construction.

Kansas City Chiefs fans will remember this moment from the 2016 NFL Draft: the opening round on Thursday when, after waiting all night for the Chiefs pick to finally come up, general manager John Dorsey decided to trade back into the second round. It was a frustrating moment, especially after such a long wait, but their patience would ultimately be rewarded by Dorsey’s work in later rounds.

The prize was Stanford offensive lineman Joshua Garnett. At the time, the San Francisco 49ers traded up 9 picks to get back into the first round for and gave up their second round (37th overall), fourth round (105) and sixth round (178) to get him. (The Chiefs also sent back their 7th round choice.) They had good reason to do so.

The Niners needed serious help along their offensive front at that time and Garnett was considered a very safe prospect at a position of need. He came from a pro-ready offense at Stanford with plenty of starting experience and the honor of being named the Outland Trophy winner, which goes to the nation’s best interior offensive lineman. He was plug-and-play from Week 1—or at least he was supposed to be.

Three years later, the 49ers have rewarded Mike Person for his ability to unseat Garnett and hold down the right guard position all season long. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same Mike Person who was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 after spending nearly a year on the roster.

The Chiefs weren’t the only team to let Person come and go. Check out this list of former teams for Person: 49ers (yes, they drafted him back in 2011) in the first place, Indianapolis Colts (twice), Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Atlanta Falcons. Counting multiple stints in Indy and San Fran, that means Person has finally earned a multi-year extension on his eighth stop in the National Football League.

Essentially, the 49ers traded a few picks to the Chiefs to move up and grab a guy who was supposed to be a long-term answer at guard. The guy who would actually lock down the job three years later was stuck on the Chiefs roster as a back-up. It might have been better if the Niners would have just swapped a conditional future pick to bring Person back early.

But no one at the time would have ever believed that to be the move to make, which is what makes competition so important. In a time of year where we’re all caught up in who will be taken in what round, the reality is that every team will watch some version of Mike Person win a job over some version of Josh Garnett. Some long-term answer will fail to work out and some lunchpail type will win over a coaching staff.

Next. Offensive combine standouts for the Chiefs. dark

Beware the hype machine and the unpredictability of competition. And be thankful for general managers who know how to trade back 9 spots and still pick up Chris Jones.

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