The 49ers on Thursday had a handful of absences in the trenches that led to some intriguing inclusions on the first-team offensive line.
Veteran left tackle Trent Williams hasn’t been participating in full during the team portion of practice while the club ensures he gets to the regular season fully healthy.
Jaylon Moore has been taking his place, but a bone bruise has sidelined Moore, leaving the first-team LT snaps for second-year OL Leroy Watson IV according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
Watson has been something of a standout early in camp given that this is only his second season playing on the offensive line. He played tight end in college at UTSA before moving to the OL last year in training camp as an undrafted rookie with the Falcons.
At left guard there was a rotation between second-year OLs Nick Zakelj and Jason Poe while starter Aaron Banks is in concussion protocol.
Zakelj is converting to the interior after playing left tackle for his entire college career. The 49ers selected him in the sixth round of last year’s draft.
Poe was a standout in camp last year as an undrafted rookie from Mercer. He should get some additional first-team reps with Banks out, and he could wind up working his way onto the 53-man roster with a strong performance.
Everything was normal at center and on the right side where Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford and Colton McKivitz were all in their normal roles.
While neither spot on the left side of the line is open for a new starter, the reps for those reserves further down the offseason depth chart could be extremely valuable. A player like Watson could go from afterthought to legitimate roster candidate, and players like Zakelj or Poe could potentially land key reserve roles to help improve the 49ers’ depth up front.
