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49ers select Iowa guard Connor Colby with No. 249 overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft
in American Football
The 49ers will have one new starter on the offensive line this season.
But the 49ers have indicated this offseason that the new starter might not be a new player on the team. That appears more obvious now than ever.
The 49ers waited deep into the 2025 NFL Draft before selecting an offensive lineman — a position many outside the building believed was among the team’s top needs.
The 49ers finally went with an offensive lineman in the seventh round with the selection of Iowa guard/center Connor Colby with the No. 249 overall choice.
Colby (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season. He started 50 of the 54 games in which he appeared during his career. He started 37 games at right guard, seven at left guard and six at right tackle.
It will be difficult for Colby to get into the mix for a starting job as a rookie.
The 49ers return four of their starters on the offensive line. The only spot where there is an obvious vacancy is at left guard, where Aaron Banks lined up as the starter the past three seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
Banks, a second-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, signed a four-year, $77 million contract with the Green Bay Packers at the outset of the free-agent signing period.
“On the lines, you are always looking to add, and to improve,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said this month at the NFL Lynch said. “I would tell you we like our right tackle, we like our center. Left guard, we’ve got some candidates in house right now.”
Among the returning players who could compete for the starting job are Spencer Burford, Ben Bartch, Nick Zakelj and Matt Hennessy.
The big question for the future of the 49ers’ offensive line is at left tackle. And the 49ers have done nothing to address that need for the future.
Trent Williams, who turns 37 in July, has been in the NFL since 2010. He has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls, and his availability at this stage of his career is likely a season-to-season proposition.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz is signed through the upcoming season, while center Jake Brendel has two years remaining on his contract