The San Francisco 49ers were widely expected to use their first-round pick in the 2024 draft on an offensive tackle, but they forewent that choice and kicked the can down the road on addressing the biggest hole in their roster.
Instead of making an upgrade over right tackle Colton McKivitz, the 49ers picked wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 overall. Then they took cornerback Renardo Green in Round 2 before finally selecting offensive lineman Dominick Puni in the third round.
Puni played OT in college, but moved to right guard with the 49ers where he has thrived. San Francisco didn’t do more to address the right tackle position in the draft, leaving McKivitz to duke it out with veterans Chris Hubbard and Brandon Parker in camp. McKivitz won out without any real competition from the two vets.
A new mock draft from Pro Football Focus has the 49ers making the offensive line selection they forewent a year ago. With the No. 17 pick, they select OT Cameron Williams out of the University of Texas:
Things have looked better along the 49ers’ offensive line as of late, but they should still monitor potential upgrades. Williams is just a one-year starter at right tackle for Texas this season, but the 6-foot-5, 335-pounder possesses rare movement skills, balance and length. San Francisco could view him as an upgrade over Colton McKivitz at right tackle.
While Williams may check the boxes for measurables and athleticism, his lack of experience may be a problem for a 49ers team that cares less about ceiling in its offensive lineman and more about their ability to step in and be effective right away.
Williams entered the 2024 season with just one start in his career, and he’s started all eight of Texas’s games this season. He’ll be sitting on something around 14 or 15 career starts by the end of the year.
Perhaps he shows enough in his time as a starter this season to give a team like the 49ers confidence he’s a surefire upgrade at RT. Whether they take an offensive lineman in the first-round remains to be seen, but it’s a relative certainty that OT will be their biggest position of need when the draft begins.
