Young guards Banks, Burford fix early mistakes vs. Vikings

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The 49ers appear willing to live through the issues that go along with two young starters at the guard positions.

Rookie Spencer Burford and second-year player Aaron Banks played 31 snaps apiece in the first half of the 49ers’ preseason game Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he felt as if both offensive linemen got better and learned from mistakes that were made early in the game.

“Anytime you throw these guys out there that haven't played before, there's a lot to go through and you try to limit the ups and downs that they go through during the game,” Shanahan said. “They didn't get to play the whole game, they only got the first half.

“Both of them made some mistakes and then it was nice to see them both come back and rebound there in the second quarter and do some good things.”

Banks, a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, appeared in nine games as a rookie and played just five snaps on offense the entire season. He is slated to take over at left guard for Laken Tomlinson, who signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the New York Jets in the offseason.

Banks was slow to recognize and react to a stunt on the defensive line, which resulted in a quarterback pressure in the first quarter. Later, he handled a similar maneuver much better.

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Burford appeared to play a clean game after gaining valuable experience during head-to-head practices against the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Burford has taken every snap at right guard with the 49ers’ first-team offense. He came to the 49ers as a fourth-round pick from the University of Texas-San Antonio.

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