DeFABO: Looking at Fahn Cooper's chances for playing time in San Francisco

Crystal Lake South grad Fahn Cooper took the first step in his NFL journey on Saturday when the San Francisco 49ers drafted him late in the fifth round. Now comes the real work, making the team and sticking with San Francisco long-term.

Offensive line was a clear need for the 49ers heading into this season, especially after they allowed their best lineman, Alex Boone, to walk in free agency.

San Francisco made the position group a priority by drafting three linemen for the first time since 1998. In addition to Cooper, the 49ers traded back into the first round to select guard Joshua Garnett out of Stanford. They also took tackle John Theus ahead of Cooper in the fifth round.

San Francisco coach Chip Kelly identified Cooper as a player who fits his zone-running scheme. Cooper will have to battle it out with those rookies and the other offensive linemen currently on the 49ers roster. With the addition of the three rookies, the roster currently lists five guards, four tackles, one center, and four players ambiguously listed as offensive linemen.

“You’re always trying to make every room as competitive as you can,” Kelly told reporters after the draft. “So, any chance you get to upgrade a room, you take it because there’s nothing better than competition to bring the best out. And if you’ve got the right people in the rooms, they want jobs, they want to compete. So, bring it on. That’s the way we look at it.”

Just three players appear to have solidified their starting roles — left tackle Joe Staley, guard Zane Beadles and center Daniel Kilgore. With the significant investment in Garnett, it seems that he could be the front runner to lock up the second guard spot.

That leaves one tackle spot vacant. Erik Pears and Trent Brown are likely to compete for the right tackle job, along with Cooper and the others.

However, as it stands now, Cooper will have his work cut out for him to land a starting role as a rookie. His value to the team will instead be predicated on a couple of factors.

While Cooper has long arms and good strength, a number of scouts, including Pro Football Weekly’s Greg Gabriel, envision Cooper as more of a guard than a tackle because of his less-than-ideal height. (He is listed at 6-foot-4 and weighed 303 pounds at the combine.)

The 49ers may choose to line Cooper up inside at guard, where his size will be less of a factor.

However, Cooper’s best odds of suiting up on Sundays will be if he can prove his ability to play both positions, something Kelly values in his backups, since he plans to dress seven linemen.

“Those two backup offensive linemen, one of them has to be kind of an inside guy, one of them has to be kind of an outside guy,” Kelly said. “They’ve got to be able to be versatile in terms of playing every position across our front five.”

Cooper has shown some versatility in the past, playing both tackle positions at Ole Miss. He also has the advantage of playing in an up-tempo, zone-running scheme that is similar is many ways to the offense Kelly plans to implement.

Cooper’s familiarity with these concepts should help ease his transition.

Still questions remain. Can Cooper exceed projections and become a full-time tackle? Can he make the transition to guard? Or, most importantly, can he do both?

• Sports reporter Mike DeFabo can be reached at mdefabo@shawmedia.com or on Twitter @MikeDeFabo.