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Is Will Campbell the Perfect Draft Pick for the 49ers in Round 1?

The 49ers will have an opportunity to draft a franchise-changing talent with the 11th pick this year.

Grant Cohn

Oct 15, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers offensive lineman Will Campbell (66) against the Florida Gators prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Oct 15, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers offensive lineman Will Campbell (66) against the Florida Gators prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images
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The 49ers will have an opportunity to draft a franchise-changing talent with the 11th pick this year.

The 49ers haven't picked this high in a draft since 2021 when they traded up for Trey Lance. That was a big mistake. Instead of Lance, the 49ers could have taken Penei Sewell, Ja'Marr Chase, Patrick Surtain II or Micah Parsons -- four All Pros.

This year, at least one future All Pro should be available when the 49ers are on the clock, and Pro Football Focus says the 49ers' dream scenario would be to draft LSU left tackle Will Campbell.

"The 49ers and Brock Purdy are reportedly working on a massive extension, so moving to find more blocking for both him and Christian McCaffrey is a priority," writes PFF analyst Mason Cameron. "With Aaron Banks’ contract expiring and Trent Williams entering his age-37 season while coming off an injury, Campbell — or another highly touted tackle prospect — would address an immediate need on the interior and provide a long-term solution at tackle."

Everyone agrees the 49ers' biggest need is offensive tackle for the reasons stated above, but I'm not sure the 49ers see their roster the same way. Both head coach Kyle Shanahan and Chris Foerster said last year that they would rather invest in offensive players who score touchdowns and that they merely need starting-caliber players on the offensive line. That's why Colton McKivitz is the starting right tackle. He's good enough to start and he's paid like a high-level backup.

I'm guessing the 49ers don't want to make the Mike McGlinchey mistake again. Remember, they took him with the 9th pick in the 2018 Draft and didn't offer him a second contract. He was a major reach.

Considering the 49ers just found Dominick Puni, a quality right guard, in Round 3 last year, I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers wait until Round 3 again this year to address the offensive line.

Sorry.

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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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