Carver Willis Reveals the 49ers' Plans for Him in NFL

He won't be playing left tackle.

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When the San Francisco 49ers drafted Carver Willis from Washington, there was a question about what his role would be in the NFL. Willis played right tackle at Kansas State and left tackle at Washington, but almost all projections have Willis as a guard, and some have even mentioned that he could be a center. 

Where will Carver Willis align for the San Francisco 49ers in 2026?

Wills was asked about a potential position change and where he sees himself best in the NFL. Willis was sure to mention that he was willing to play any offensive line spot, but he noted that every coach has told him that he will not be a tackle in the NFL, and his best bet is to focus on guard. 

49ers OL Carver Willis explains why he will likely play guard in the NFL instead of tackle:

“I call it winning the genetic lottery. I didn’t. Some guys are born with a V12, and I’m trying to add a turbo charger to an inline-six. It’s really durable, reliable engine, but it… pic.twitter.com/TiM6KzUj4j

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) May 7, 2026

Willis did mention that he has taken some center snaps, but they mostly just want him to have the ability to do it in an emergency situation, and it did not sound like the team was ready to make that switch yet. However, they are clearly pushing him into the mix at guard, and he might get a chance to start at left guard this season.

The 49ers started multiple options at left guard last year, from Ben Bartch to Connor Colby and Spencer Burford. Burford and Bartch are gone, and Colby only played because of injury and was benched immediately. The team could not go into the season with just Colby.

So, they signed Robert Jones in free agency and drafted Carver Willis in the fourth round. Considering Jones has history at left guard, and Willis was drafted higher than Colby, there is a chance that Colby will come in as the number three in the guard competition. 

This makes sense because Colby played right guard for the majority of his career at Iowa, and only switched to left guard because of the hole. If the team has Jones and Willias slotted in at left guard, Colby would be better served getting backup right guard snaps than he would be being the third-string left guard and not getting snaps against better quality players.