The San Francisco 49ers may not be feeling a ton of urgency about their need at offensive tackle. Both head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch at the NFL's annual league meeting expressed optimism about their starting offensive line moving into 2025.
However, we can't rule out the club taking an OT early in this year's draft if they believe that player could ultimately replace left tackle Trent Williams long-term. Even if they use a first-round pick at the position, they should still be keeping an eye out for depth with their later picks.
Using a recent seven-round mock draft from ESPN's Matt Miller, we went through and picked out an offensive tackle in each round of this year's draft that the 49ers should have an eye on:
Round 1: Armand Membou, Missouri
This is an easy one. Membou looks like he could eventually replace Williams and give the 49ers an upgrade at right tackle in Year 1, allowing Colton McKivitz to fill their swing tackle vacancy. Athleticism and technical savvy make Membou perhaps the top OT prospect in this year's class.
Round 2: Charles Grant, William & Mary
Grant has terrific size at 6-5, 311 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms. Level of competition in college is a question mark with Grant, but he has the tools to develop into a starting left tackle while filling in as a swing tackle early in his career. San Francisco would be a really nice landing spot for the ascending prospect.
Round 3: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
Ersery is a fun player. He's a very good athlete at 6-6, 331 pounds and he started his final 38 college games at left tackle for the Golden Gophers. He's another good Day 2 candidate who can be the swing tackle while developing as a long-term answer at left tackle.
Round 4: Logan Brown, Kansas
Brown is a good athlete with the requisite size (6-6, 311 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms) to be a starting tackle in the NFL. He dealt with some availability issues in college, once because of injury and once because of a suspension. Brown only spent one full season as a starter, but he has experience on both sides of the line which could help him carve out an important role as a reserve.
Round 5: Hollin Pierce, Rutgers
There's a real chance Pierce goes significantly earlier than the fifth round. He was a four-year starter with the Scarlet Knights at both OT positions. He also has elite measurables at 6-8, 341 pounds with 36-inch arms. Athletically he doesn't jump off the screen. He's a little top heavy and can get knocked off balance because he plays so tall, but those are things an NFL coaching staff can try and work on to maximize his top-end physical traits.
Round 6: Branson Taylor, Pittsburgh
Taylor is the only player on our list who may play guard as a pro, which isn't disqualifying for the 49ers. He has 32 3/4-inch arms, a tick short of the typical 33-inch benchmark. Taylor still measured in at 6-6, 321 pounds which is plenty big to play tackle as a pro. He could be a developmental piece or a swing tackle right away. He also has experience at both OT positions. However, if the 49ers wanted to try moving him to guard, the choice would still make sense.
Round 7: Caleb Etienne, BYU
Miller didn't have Etienne getting drafted, but the 49ers held a pre-draft meeting with him and his performance at his Pro Day should put him on the map as a draftable player. He measured in at 6-7, 329 ...
