Believe it or not, the 49ers haven’t drafted an offensive tackle since 2021.
That player was Jaylon Moore, a fifth-round pick. In four seasons with the 49ers, he started just 12 games. In a month, he’ll be a free agent.
Starting right tackle Colton McKivitz was a fifth-round pick in 2020. He has been a starter the past two seasons, and he is without a doubt one of the worst right tackles in the NFL. This season, he gave up eight sacks. Last season, he gave up 13 sacks. That’s 21 sacks allowed in 34 games as a starter. He will be a free agent next year and the 49ers should not re-sign him.
And then there’s starting left tackle Trent Williams. This season, he missed seven games with an ankle bruise that wouldn’t heal. He injures his ankle almost every season and he will turn 37 in July. He currently doesn’t have a backup, mostly because the 49ers haven’t drafted the position in four years.
Last year after the draft, a reporter asked general manager John Lynch why he neglected the offensive tackle position yet again.
“I think when you’re drafting 31st, it’s oftentimes hard to find a tackle that you really love,” Lynch said. “And we like our tackles as they stand right now. We like our depth with Jaylon Moore being a really talented guy who can play the swing role. Drafted Jarrett Kingston, who has some flex at tackle. We’ll continue to always try to improve ourselves and improve the depth of our team. But we’re excited about our O-Line group. I know a lot of people talk about that, but we feel pretty good about our group.”
Spoiler: Kingston got waived after training camp.
This year, the 49ers have the 11th pick, which means they have no excuse not to draft an offensive tackle they really love. And if they find one they really love in Rounds 2 or 3, wonderful. But they can’t disregard the position for the fourth draft in a row.