The San Francisco 49ers didn’t make many major changes to the offensive line this offseason, running it back with starters Trent Williams, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, and Colton McKivitz.
They elected not to spend much capital in both free agency and the draft on the position. They signed Vederian Lowe to a two-year, $9.25 million deal to be their swing tackle. Brett Toth got a one-year, $2.5 million deal to compete at guard. And Robert Jones was the only other main free agency addition, signing a one-year, $1.75 million deal to also compete at left guard with Connor Colby.
The 49ers also waited for Day 3 of the draft to address the position, drafting Washington offensive lineman Carver Willis in the fourth round and Kansas offensive tackle Enrique Cruz Jr. in the fifth round.
That set up a competition at left guard this offseason, and it’s mainly been process of elimination, with Willis being the candidate progressing the most through training camp. Still, the results from all candidates have been quite mixed this offseason, with injuries also getting in the way.
So, the 49ers ended up trading a Day 3 pick for Houston Texans offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson on cutdown day, and he’s expected to immediately get reps at center and guard, with Kyle Shanahan also saying the starting left guard hasn’t been decided yet.
Over the years, analysts have criticized the 49ers for their approach towards the offensive line. They haven’t spent a first-round pick at the position since Mike McGlinchey in 2018, and haven’t also made many significant free agent investments outside of re-signing players.
Following the Patterson trade, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman gave his thoughts on the offensive line, sharing his concerns with the team’s approach.
“The thing they didn’t do that I was concerned about was that interior offensive line. They didn’t strengthen it,” Sherman said. “Now, we’re late into training camp. Training camp is done. We’re late in the offseason. We’re a week away from the season, and they’re trading for interior offensive linemen because it’s an obvious place of concern. We knew that two years ago. And that’s the part where I don’t really get it.
“You’re about to go against the most dynamic D-Lines in the league in LA and Seattle. Two of the most incredible D-Lines in the league, and you’re just gonna say, hey, we’ll figure it out as we go. Against Aaron Donald? Against Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed? That’s what you’re gonna go with? That’s the plan? That’s the part with the San Francisco 49ers where I’m like, the roster building, I don’t understand it.”
The 49ers have invested a couple of higher draft picks at the position in the Kyle Shanahan era. They took McGlinchey in 2018 in the first round. They took Aaron Banks in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
But in 10 drafts, those are the only two top-two-round picks that the 49ers have spent on the offensive line. Here’s who they’ve drafted in the last five years:
2022: Spencer Burford (fourth round), Nick Zakelj (sixth round)
2023: N/A
2024: Dominick Puni (third round), Jarrett Kingston (sixth round)
2025: Connor Colby (seventh round)
2026: Carver Willis (fourth round), Enrique Cruz (fifth round)
Of that group, there’s really only one hit, and that’s Dominick Puni. That’s not ideal. Going back even further across all the 10 years of drafts under Shanahan and John Lynch, the 49ers have taken Aaron Banks (second round), Jaylon Moore (fifth round), Colton McKivitz (fifth round), Justin Skule (sixth round), and Mike McGlinchey (first round).
Of that group, McKivitz is the only true steal, and that came after he was initially cut by the team. Banks is the only other “hit” and he’s been average at best throughout his NFL career, while not earning a second contract with the 49ers. Same goes for McGlinchey, who probably hasn’t lived up to his No. 9 overall draft slot while being a serviceable right tackle.
Not only are the 49ers not drafting in quantity, but they haven’t invested much capital into the position group as a whole. We’ll see if it ends up hurting them this year, but they’re currently still figuring out a starter at left guard this close to the season.