The Player the 49ers Should Draft in Round 1

This is an oppotunity they can't pass up.

The 49ers have a tremendous opportunity.

They have a first-round pick for the first time in three years, they need an offensive tackle and the upcoming draft is absolutely loaded at that position. If they stay put at pick no. 31, they should be able to draft an offensive tackle who's better right now than Colton McKivitz and potentially can replace Trent Williams when he retires.

The 49ers also could draft a defensive lineman, which they've done frequently in Round 1 since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach. But can they really find a D-lineman at pick no. 31 who's better right now than Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins or Javon Hargrave? Doubftful. Which means any D-lineman the 49ers take in Round 1 probably would be a backup for the foreseeable future.

Why draft a backup defensive lineman in Round 1 when they can draft a player who can start immediately at right tackle and move over to left tackle in a few years? The 49ers have to start preparing for life without Trent Williams. He'll be 36 in July, and he misses a few games every season. If he were to miss half a season with an injury, the 49ers would be in big trouble.

That's why they should draft Tyler Guyton with pick no. 31. Like Williams, Guyton played college football at Oklahoma, and has the athleticism to play right tackle or left tackle. Assuming the 49ers keep making deep runs into the playoffs, they won't have another opportunity to draft an offensive tackle as talented as Guyton for quite some time.

This is an oppotunity they can't pass up.