With exactly one month until the NFL Draft, Pro Football Focus (PFF) is out with a new mock draft for the first round. In it, the 49ers use their 11th overall pick to bolster the offensive line, selecting LSU tackle Will Campbell.
Campbell is a popular choice for the 49ers' first-round selection, given his remarkable athleticism (9.88 Relative Athletic Score) and high zone blocking grade from PFF. Both are hallmarks of the offensive linemen Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have drafted since coming to San Francisco in 2017.
However, many analysts believe Campbell will be pushed inside to guard when he gets to the NFL. At the NFL Combine, his arm length registered at around 32.5 inches, below the 34 inches that many NFL teams see as a minimum for offensive tackles. While no one doubts Campbell's skill at the position, tackles with shorter arms can get exposed against more athletic defensive linemen who can bend the edge. Take, for example, Joe Thuney, who has roughly the same arm length as Campbell. He excelled at tackle for the Chiefs this year, after moving from his usual guard spot, but struggled in the Super Bowl when he had to face the Eagles' defensive line.
A move inside to guard wouldn't doom Campbell's chances of ending up on the 49ers, however. The team did the same thing with Dominick Puni last year, moving him to right guard despite him spending his last year of college at left tackle. And the 49ers could stand to upgrade both their left guard and center positions, making an interior lineman a viable first-round choice.
However, it certainly makes Campbell a less attractive pick if he needs to move inside. Tackles are generally considered more important than interior linemen, and the 49ers desperately need a successor for Trent Williams. While an interior lineman would be important to the team's future, a tackle fills a greater long-term need and would still have a chance to start over Colton McKivitz this year.
