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Dane Brugler Projects the 49ers to Draft Missouri OL Armand Membou

Perhaps trading down for Membou would be the best move for the 49ers considering most of the remaining playoff teams have excellent offensive lines.
Grant Cohn|
Nov 18, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) at the line of scrimmage against the Florida Gators during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) at the line of scrimmage against the Florida Gators during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have the 11th pick in the upcoming draft and they need starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Last year, they drafted zero defensive linemen. That was a mistake. They also drafted Dominick Puni in Round 3 and he already is one of the best right guards in the NFL.

But starting left guard Aaron Banks is a free agent and the 49ers probably won't re-sign him. In addition, starting left tackle Trent Williams is 36 and missed seven games this season.

That's why The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects the 49ers to take Missouri offensive tackle/guard Armand Membou with the 11th pick.

"Based on the players expected to be available in this range, there is a decent chance the 49ers use this pick to address the trenches, either on the offensive or defensive line," writes Brugler. "Membou is incredibly underrated, but he plays with exceptional control, athleticism and finish. He would give San Francisco an ascending player with guard-tackle versatility."

If the 49ers view Membou as a quality starting tackle, I believe they would take him. But if they view him as a guard, I'm guessing they would pass on him or trade down to get him. They'd have to see him as a future Hall of Fame guard to take him with the 11th pick.

Perhaps trading down for Membou would be the best move for the 49ers considering most of the remaining playoff teams have excellent offensive lines. In addition, the Rams have a ferocious young defensive line which the 49ers will have to face twice a season for the foreseeable future.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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