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PFF Projects the 49ers to Take Offensive Linemen with First Two Picks

If the 49ers are going to give Brock Purdy a massive contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player on the team, it stands to reason that they would invest in the offensive line, too.
Grant Cohn|
Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team offensive lineman Grey Zabel of North Dakota State (77) and National team offensive lineman Caleb Rogers of Texas Tech (76) battle with National team defensive lineman Ty Robinson of Nebraska (94) during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team offensive lineman Grey Zabel of North Dakota State (77) and National team offensive lineman Caleb Rogers of Texas Tech (76) battle with National team defensive lineman Ty Robinson of Nebraska (94) during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

If the 49ers are going to give Brock Purdy a massive contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player on the team, it stands to reason that they would invest in the offensive line, too.

The 49ers offensive line is mediocre at best and hasn't been good since Jim Harbaugh was the coach more than 10 years ago. That's one reason Pro Football Focus analyst Josh Liskiewitz projects the 49ers to draft Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. in Round 1 and North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in Round 2.

Here's PFF's analysis:

"Round 1, Pick 11: T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Banks elevated his game in 2024, allowing just one sack and 10 total pressures across 538 pass-blocking snaps for the Longhorns."

MY TAKE: Banks might not be the best player available when the 49ers are on the board, but he probably will be the best offensive lineman available and he seems to be a much better prospect than Mike McGlinchey ever was. I like this pick.

More PFF analysis:

"Round 2, Pick 43: OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
Zabel was one of the standout performers at Senior Bowl week, showcasing the versatility and physicality needed to excel at multiple positions. He dominated at his level of competition in 2024, allowing just seven total pressures while grading positively on 23.3% of outside zone runs for the Bison."

MY TAKE: I love this pick. If the 49ers were able to come away from this draft with two quality starters on their offensive line, suddenly they would have a good offensive line for the first time since the Harbaugh Era. That being said, I bet the 49ers go defensive line with their first two picks instead because they're the 49ers and that's what they do.

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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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