Why the 49ers Drafted Iowa OL Connor Colby

Connor Colby was the only offensive lineman drafted by the 49ers this year.

Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby (77) blocks for quarterback Spencer Petras (7) during a NCAA college football game in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl against Kentucky, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. 220101 Iowa Kentucky Citrus Fb Extra 022 Jpg | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

One offensive lineman was enough for the San Francisco 49ers in this year's NFL draft.

That one offensive lineman was Iowa's Connor Colby. The 49ers drafted Colby in the seventh round at No. 249 overall with their second-to-last pick.

The 49ers wanted to draft an offensive lineman earlier, but the ones they had their eyes kept getting taken. You would think the 49ers would want to trade up for one if they're that selective.

In any case, Colby is the lone offensive lineman taken by the 49ers in the 2025 NFL draft. So, why did they like Colby to take him with one of their final picks?

"We were happy to add Colby," said General Manager John Lynch. "We think he's a really good scheme fit. Great thing about Iowa is they run a very similar, they run a lot of outside zones, so you get to see a guy like him do things that we do and he does them well. So, we’re happy to add that."

To be quite frank, the selection of Colby seems more of "just because" from the 49ers, which is fine. They took him in the seventh round.

At that point, it doesn't matter who or what position the 49ers target. The odds of a player becoming a starter or even a role player from that round are unlikely.

Now, you can point to Brock Purdy and Jauan Jennings as successful seventh-round draft picks, but that's it. They are more outliers (especially Purdy) than anything.

The 49ers didn't take a single offensive lineman in the draft until Colby. So, why not take him? Bring him into training camp and see what he's got.

But he's not going to be anything more than a practice squad player. If he does become more than he will have beaten his value as a seventh-round pick, the best-case scenario for the 49ers.