The offensive line is widely considered one of the San Francisco 49ers' most significant needs heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. However, general manager John Lynch doesn't necessarily agree. While many mock drafts predict the team will use the No. 11 overall pick to strengthen what has long been seen as an underperforming unit, Lynch remains confident in the group already in place.
"We like our right tackle. We like our center," Lynch said Monday at the NFL's annual meeting in Florida, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "Left guard, we have some candidates in-house right now. But will we look to add in the draft? Certainly."
The 49ers lost starting left guard Aaron Banks in free agency, with the veteran signing a lucrative deal with the Green Bay Packers. Their depth also took a hit when reserve tackle Jaylon Moore, who started five games last season in place of an injured Trent Williams, joined the Kansas City Chiefs.
For now, Colton McKivitz and Jake Brendel are penciled in as the starting right tackle and center, respectively. However, many believe that the team can upgrade over McKivitz, with several first-round projections featuring a prospect to take over at right tackle and serve as an eventual successor to Williams on the left side.
McKivitz showed improvement last season, raising his Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade from 58.3 in 2023, when he allowed 59 pressures, to 72.8 in 2024. Still, his 36 pressures allowed were the most on the team last season.
Meanwhile, Brendel earned a 65.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 12th among centers with at least 650 snaps. However, his 55.1 pass-blocking grade ranked 22nd.
Brendel's 65.0 offensive grade ranked 12th among NFL centers with at least 650 snaps last season. However, his 55.1 pass-blocking grade ranked 22nd.
The good news for the 49ers is that they found their long-term right guard in last year's third-round pick, Dominick Puni.
"We'll try to improve our offensive line through the draft, but there are a lot of good pieces there already," Lynch said.
Despite outside concerns about the unit, Lynch insists the situation isn't as dire as some suggest.
"That's something where I don't follow the narrative on how our guys are," Lynch said. "We evaluate our players, and we think we have a pretty steady group."
Several mock drafts project Missouri tackle Armand Membou to the 49ers in the first round, with LSU's Will Campbell and Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. also viewed as potential options for the Bay Area team.