The San Francisco 49ers are in the market for an offensive tackle. According to reports, the team met with Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week. The 49ers hold the 11th overall pick in next month's NFL Draft.

San Francisco needs to upgrade the trenches (offensive and defensive lines). While many believe the 49ers are more likely to address the defensive line in the first round, some think they will (or should) draft an offensive tackle. Starting right tackle Colton McKivitz is entering the final season of his contract, and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams is nearing the end of his career.


Simmons entered the 2024 season, projected by many as the top offensive tackle in the 2025 draft. But the Ohio State star suffered a torn patellar tendon during the season. On Saturday, Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, posted on social media, "It was reported that Ohio State LT Josh Simmons tore his left ACL in October. He said he actually tore his patellar tendon — and that's a different thing altogether. He had a formal meeting with the 49ers at the combine. With a clean medical, he's an option for 49ers at No. 11."


But will the 49ers be willing to take a chance on a player who suffered a torn patellar tendon? They have already dealt with players in the past whose career was impacted by the same injury. Edge rusher Drake Jackson tore his patellar tendon during the 2023 season. He has not played since, missing much of 2023 and all of 2024. The 49ers also saw their center, Weston Richburg, suffer the same injury in 2019. Richburg never played again. So, if the 49ers are hesitant to draft a player with that injury, it's not hard to understand why.

Dr. Nirav Pandya, Professor of UCSF Orthopedic Surgery and Director of Sports Medicine at Benioff Children's Hospital, posted on social media, "If you look at NFL players who have suffered patellar tendon tears over the past 15 years, the return to play rate after surgery is around 50 percent with a drop in performance statistics. As much as surgical techniques have advanced, this is still a tough injury to deal with." A return rate of 50%, with a drop in performance, doesn't sound like a player the 49ers would take at pick 11, especially considering their history with that injury.


Maiocco also reported that Simmons is making good progress in his rehabilitation, quoting Simmons, who said, "(I'm) really way ahead of schedule, will be cut loose in mid-April to give everybody a good pro day." It's great that Simmons is coming along, but it's still questionable whether the 49ers would be willing to take a chance on a player with that injury, especially with such a high pick.

Simmons is one of several offensive tackles who have mentioned the 49ers among teams they have met with. Others include Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr., LSU OL Miles Frazier, Missouri OT Armand Membou, and Rutgers OL Hollin Pierce.

Written By:

Marc Adams


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