It’s only been done twice since 1950.
Only a few weeks ago, it felt like offensive lineman or bust for the San Francisco 49ers at pick No. 31. Now, it seems the popular pick among mock drafts is the 49ers opting to go with the best player available, whether it ends up being an offensive lineman, wide receiver, or cornerback.
But what if the 49ers used their first and second pick to address the offensive line?
I can hear all the readers doing their best Dennis Reynolds impression, asking, “twoooo offensive linemen?” Only twice since 1950 have the 49ers used both of its first two picks on the offensive line – Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati were taken with both of the 49ers first round picks in 2010, and Forrest Blue and Lance Olssen with the team’s first and third-round picks in 1968 – so there is some precedent from the franchise to make such a decision.
But why would the 49ers, with several needs, take the same position group with its two most important selections next week?
San Francisco has some unique needs along the offensive line. It has a right tackle who started all 20 games in 2023. Still, the 49ers gave him a contract that screams that it’s looking for competition at the spot. Two right guards either need to be better to take the spot full-time but are not bad enough to leave off the field. And a generational left tackle who could retire at any point after 2024.
Not to mention, the 49ers will have multiple upon multiple millions of reasons to want to ensure plenty of protection for Brock Purdy. Let’s start making plans now.
A lot of this plan depends on how the draft board falls, but there’s believed to be plenty of offensive line talent. On Wednesday, Dane Brugler of The Athletic has ten offensive linemen going in the first round in his mock draft. From Monday, Mel Kiper and Field Yates of ESPN had nine selected in their combined mock draft. NFL reporter Peter Schrager had nine linemen drafted in the first as well.
Not only is there first-round talent, but plenty of second-round talent as well, at least according to Brugler. In his yearly The Beast draft guide, Brugler graded 18 offensive line prospects with at least a second-round grade. The breakdown:
- Seven with a 1st round grade (five OT, one OG, one C)
- Three with a 1st-2nd round grade (one OT, one OG, one C)
- Three with a 2nd round grade (one OT, one OG, one C)
- Five with a 2nd-3rd round grade (three OT, two OG)
With so much talent at the spot, there’s been plenty of variance to where some popular names mocked to the 49ers have been taken. Amarius Mims (1st round grade from Brugler) has plenty of intrigue around the league with his natural talent and lack of playing experience.
Maybe he falls to 31 for the 49ers to take and give him a redshirt season behind Trent Williams. John Lynch and 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster were spotted at Washington’s pro day. Roger Rosengarten (2nd-3rd round grade) has been tied to the 49ers in some mocks, and Lynch and Foerster up in Seattle only fuel that fire.
Rosengarten has been mocked anywhere from the first to the third round, so it could be possible he’s there to take at 63 to give Colton McKivitz that competition at right tackle.
Jordan Morgan (1st-2nd round grade) out of Arizona has been among the more popular names at 31. While he played as a tackle in college, he projects to be a guard at the pro level. The 49ers could prove all the mocks accurate and take Morgan in the first round to compete for both spots on the right side of the line.
BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia (2nd round grade) is another player with a lot of variance on his draft spot, getting mocked anywhere from the middle of the first round to the end of the second. The 49ers met with Suamataia on Tuesday, so there’s interest. There’s a fit with his play on both sides of the offensive line at tackle.
What about Rosengarten in the first and Suamataia in the second? What about vice versa? Those are just a few combinations that could happen depending on how the board falls, and they don’t include others like Tyler Guyton, Graham Barton, or Patrick Paul.
The point is that there will be plenty of options for the 49ers to help the offensive line. There are also going to be plenty of options at other spots that could help San Francisco. It still feels likely at this point that the 49ers will end up going with the best available player, but there are plenty of scenarios where an offensive lineman is the best available at both San Francisco’s first two picks.