Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons felt an immediate connection with San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch when the two spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Both hail from the San Diego area, where Lynch remains deeply rooted.

"So we were chopping it up like that a little bit," Simmons said of Lynch, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "It was a good interview."

The 49ers are in the market for an offensive tackle and could use the 11th overall pick in April's draft to address the position. Simmons is a potential target, though he carries some risk.

At the Combine, he revealed that he underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee—an injury initially mistaken for an ACL tear. He sustained the injury on October 12.



Simmons is optimistic about his recovery and said, "(I'm) really way ahead of schedule, will be cut loose in mid-April to give everybody a good pro day."

Justin Melo of The Draft Network recently released his first post-Combine mock draft, projecting Simmons to the 49ers at No. 11 overall—making him the third offensive lineman selected in the mock draft.

"The 49ers should consider an eventual successor to Trent Williams here," Melo noted. "Better to grab your LT a year too early than a year too late. Josh Simmons could even start at right tackle for a year until Williams is ready to call it quits."

While Simmons played only 306 snaps in 2024, he posted an impressive 82.0 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade, allowing just one pressure in 158 pass-blocking snaps. At 6-foot-5 and nearly 320 pounds, he possesses the ideal size and athleticism to develop into a long-term replacement for Williams.

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