Lions Trade Tomlinson To 49ers For Future Draft Pick
Just a few weeks ago the Detroit Lions announced that they have traded their 2015 first round pick, Laken Tomlinson, to the San Francisco 49ers for a future draft pick.
Tomlinson, whom the Lions were hoping would solidify their offensive line, didn’t fit in as expected, and the team decided to move on from him after two seasons.
According to ESPN, the 49ers agreed to send the Lions their fifth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Coming out of college, Tomlinson was considered one of the best guards in the draft. He started 24 games for the Lions but never quite fit in with the team, eventually losing his starting job to Graham Glasgow halfway through the season last year.
He eventually regained his starting spot after Glasgow was moved to center to replace an injured Travis Swanson.
By trading for Tomlinson, the 49ers added depth to their offensive line, which has been one of their biggest concerns in the preseason. With left guard Joshua Garnett still recovering from an injury, the 49ers have been forced to use Zane Beadles and Brandon Fusco as their starting guards.
The 49ers offensive line has done a good pass protecting job during the preseason, but they have been unable to open up holes for Carlos Hyde and the running game.
In the three preseason games that Hyde has played in, he is averaging 2.6 yards on 17 carries.
Tomlinson will likely compete for a starting job after being pushed out of the starting rotation in Detroit. He will likely compete with Beadles for the starting left guard job.
In Detroit, Tomlinson only received first-team work during training camp when newly acquired guard T.J. Lang sat out of practice for rest as he recovers from offseason hip surgery.
The 25-year-old Tomlinson has two years left on his contract.