One Thing the 49ers Cannot Afford to Get Wrong in the NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers will be addressing the offensive line at some point in the 2026 NFL draft. Which position and when is yet to be determined, and that is why it is the most important thing for the 49ers to get right this year.

The San Francisco 49ers must make smart decisions on the offensive line

At left tackle, they have to be smart about how they address the position. They could take a swing on a player in round 1 and let him sit and develop behind Trent Williams. However, now that Williams is here for two years, the draft pick may not see much work until his third season. Beyond that, sitting for two years does not guarantee that they will be good when they get the chance to play. It is not as simple as just taking a tackle and letting him develop; they need to take the right player who is the right fit and can develop the way that they want.

So, which tackle they take, or whether or not they pass on tackle altogether, could be significant. Passing and not taking a dud would be a lot more valuable than taking a tackle who makes no impact.

Another position that may be addressed is left guard. The team currently does not have a starter, and they plan to have a competition with Connor Colby and Robert Jones. Colby got starter work last year, but struggled, and Jones has shown starter flashes in the past, but missed all of 2025 with a neck injury.

John Lynch even admitted he would like to add one more name to the competition, and that would come during the draft. The big question is when they take one. They could take one in the first round, but it may be considered a reach. Still, there are not as many great options likely to fall to the pick 58 range.

On day three, you pick your favorite option, and there will be plenty of available players to choose from. However, they have fallen past the top 100 picks for a reason, and they are not sure things will be better than the two options that are already on the roster. So, they have to thread the needle carefully, not reaching for the clear-cut starters, but also finding someone after round 1 who can legitimately start.

What the 49ers do on the left side of their offensive line in the 2026 NFL draft will be notable for years moving forward.

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