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There seem to be two ways the San Francisco 49ers will operate in the first round of this year's NFL draft.
They need help in the trenches and it would be a minor surprise if they used the No. 11 pick on a player who doesn't play on either the offensive or defensive line. Free agency wasn't kind to San Francisco's defensive front with starters Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave all exiting. However, they skip the defensive line in a USA TODAY mock draft to address a bigger long-term need on the offensive line.
With the No. 11 pick, the 49ers select University of Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks.
He makes a ton of sense for San Francisco if they believe he can be a left tackle in the NFL. That's the only position he played across his 42 games in three seasons with Texas where he was a Freshman All-American in 2022, a Second-Team All-American in 2023 and a First-Team All-American in 2024. The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects Banks as a guard in the NFL, but Banks' measurables indicate he has the requisite size to play tackle.
USA TODAY's Ayrton Ostly believes Banks can pull double duty for San Francisco where he lines up at left guard until Trent Williams hangs up his pads.
Via USA TODAY:
If the 49ers draft an offensive tackle early, it has to be a player who's going to fill in right away while they wait to replace Williams. Banks has the athleticism to step into a role at left guard right away to help improve San Francisco's offensive line short-term while they wait for his long-term impact.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL mock draft: 49ers find potential Trent Williams replacement
Continue reading...
They need help in the trenches and it would be a minor surprise if they used the No. 11 pick on a player who doesn't play on either the offensive or defensive line. Free agency wasn't kind to San Francisco's defensive front with starters Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave all exiting. However, they skip the defensive line in a USA TODAY mock draft to address a bigger long-term need on the offensive line.
With the No. 11 pick, the 49ers select University of Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks.
He makes a ton of sense for San Francisco if they believe he can be a left tackle in the NFL. That's the only position he played across his 42 games in three seasons with Texas where he was a Freshman All-American in 2022, a Second-Team All-American in 2023 and a First-Team All-American in 2024. The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects Banks as a guard in the NFL, but Banks' measurables indicate he has the requisite size to play tackle.
USA TODAY's Ayrton Ostly believes Banks can pull double duty for San Francisco where he lines up at left guard until Trent Williams hangs up his pads.
Via USA TODAY:
If the 49ers draft an offensive tackle early, it has to be a player who's going to fill in right away while they wait to replace Williams. Banks has the athleticism to step into a role at left guard right away to help improve San Francisco's offensive line short-term while they wait for his long-term impact.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL mock draft: 49ers find potential Trent Williams replacement
Continue reading...
