​San Francisco’s 49ers have been transformed into a perennial contender under the tandem of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, but former NFL offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth has highlighted a potential long-term vulnerability: the club’s reluctance to invest premium draft capital in the offensive line. In his view, the brass have not used a first- or second-round pick on an offensive lineman since Aaron Banks was selected 48th overall in 2021. The only other lineman taken in the first round since 2017 was Mike McGlinchey in 2018, who left in free agency after seven seasons. While that strategy hasn’t toppled the 49ers’ overall offensive line—consistently regarded as a top-eight unit by broad consensus—Whitworth, speaking on NBC Sports Bay Area with Matt Maiocco, argues that avoiding high-end draft investments for the line signals a lack of faith in the organization’s ability to identify elite talent. He contends this philosophy could backfire once star left tackle Trent Williams is no longer protecting the blindside.
“When you’re going to allocate a first-round pick or second-round pick to an offensive lineman, a lot of people love that theory, but you’d better be damn good at selecting him,” Whitworth said. “Because when you hit on an offensive lineman, it can be unbelievable for your franchise early in the draft, since a great offensive line or a great defensive line often tells the story of successful football teams. But when you miss on a high pick like that, you draft an unproductive lineman, you’re cooked, because you’re left with second- and third-tier linemen who still have to play.”
The 49ers have adopted a different route in shaping their line. Their anchor has been Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler whom San Francisco acquired in 2020. The rest of the unit has been assembled mainly through Day 2 and Day 3 selections, with center Jake Brendel signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021 after going undrafted in 2016. Whitworth notes that this strategy is part of the broader risk. The team’s heavy reliance on Williams—and the lack of a robust pipeline of top-tier linemen around him—has manifested in the win-loss record when he’s unavailable. In Williams’ absence, the 49ers are 1-7 over eight games, while with him they are 31-9 over 40 games.
“They’ve had arguably what I would consider the greatest of all time at their left tackle in Trent Williams,” Whitworth observed. “But when he’s gone, we’re going to have to draft a guy or develop some young players who can become elite if we want to sustain success, because a lot of their offensive success has hinged on Trent. If you look at their team when he’s not in there, there’s a huge difference.”