​When the San Francisco 49ers were without Trent Williams, Austen Pleasants was their fallback option. Pleasants, who had appeared in two inconsequential end-of-season games for the 49ers after they were eliminated from playoff contention in 2024, was then asked to start against two playoff-bound teams to close the year. He performed adequately in a start against the Chicago Bears, who were among the league’s fortuitous defenses and afforded little to no pass rush. The following week brought a far tougher challenge against one of the league’s elite defensive fronts, and Pleasants found it considerably more difficult.
Pleasants recorded a blown-block rate of 1.5 percent versus the Bears. Against Seattle a week later, that rate jumped to 7.1 percent. Head coach Kyle Shanahan did everything within his power to conceal Pleasants and minimize his responsibilities, yet he still appeared overwhelmed. Williams is set to turn 38 on July 19, and in an ideal scenario he would start every game and not miss time. If Williams does miss time, the 49ers have ensured they have an experienced veteran ready to step in.
Enter Vederian Lowe. At 27 years old, with four accrued seasons and standing 6’6” and 320 pounds, Lowe signed a two-year contract worth $9.5 million, with $5.75 million guaranteed including a $2.76 million signing bonus. The structure of Lowe’s deal—along with three void years inserted to spread the signing bonus—suggests the team’s measured optimism about him. The total package makes Lowe the 29th-richest left tackle among his peers. The contract also includes a $2.61 million option bonus, paid out in $522,000 installments from 2027 through 2031.
Pleasants has logged 186 career snaps; Lowe surpassed that mark last season with the Patriots across three games and has accumulated 1,529 career snaps. For context, a typical starter who does not miss time plays roughly 1,000–1,100 snaps in a season, so Lowe has essentially logged about a season and a half of NFL action across four seasons. That breadth of exposure should offer some reassurance if his number is called. Lowe is the type of depth player who can fill in capably in a pinch, but he isn’t viewed as a long-term answer to start substantial stretches.
The 49ers prize Lowe’s physical profile. At the pre-draft evaluation, his arm length placed in the 93rd percentile and his hand size in the 79th percentile. In 2025, penalties were not a major issue for Lowe, who recorded only two false starts. In 2024, however, he tallied 11 penalties—five holding, five false starts, and one “other.” Statistically, Lowe was stronger when he logged more playing time in 2024, posting a blown-block rate of 4.3 percent, compared with 6.3 percent in 2025. The majority of his struggles have occurred in pass protection; the prior two seasons show that 42 of his 50 blown blocks happened in pass protection.
Digging a bit deeper into the numbers, there are only a couple of SEO-friendly takeaways worth highlighting: Lowe brings length and natural height to the position, has a demonstrated capacity to adapt to different game situations, and has shown improvement with increased playing time. Taken together, Lowe represents a prudent, experience-based addition for the 49ers’ depth chart, especially if Williams’ availability becomes a concern.