Strengthening the offensive line—both for the present and the future—was widely considered one of the San Francisco 49ers' top priorities heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Many believed the team would target an offensive tackle early, especially with Trent Williams nearing the end of his career.

However, the 49ers didn't draft an offensive lineman until the seventh round, and none of their 11 picks were used on an offensive tackle. They also chose not to sign one as an undrafted free agent.


"There were a number of times that we were interested in adding, and it just didn't come our way," general manager John Lynch explained after the draft. "You've got to stay true to where you have guys graded, not take guys just to take them, but to take guys that you're interested in at that point. And it just never really aligned."

The only addition at tackle was veteran D.J. Humphries, who appeared in just two games last season after recovering from an ACL injury.

That leaves finding a successor to Williams as one of the team's most pressing unresolved needs. A way-too-early 2026 mock draft from Pro Football Focus (PFF) highlights that concern, projecting an offensive tackle to San Francisco. Interestingly, the mock connects the 49ers with Iowa tackle Gennings Dunker, a former teammate of Connor Colby, the team's lone offensive line selection from the 2025 draft.

PFF's Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman have the 49ers selecting Dunker with the No. 29 overall pick, calling him "a perfect fit in Kyle Shanahan's outside-zone heavy offense."

It's worth noting that PFF states its draft order is based on Super Bowl 60 odds. However, most sportsbooks no longer have San Francisco in their top five, making their projected position a bit puzzling.


"Iowa's right tackle earned a 90.2 PFF run-blocking grade this past season, second only to Spencer Fano among FBS tackles," wrote Chadwick and Wasserman. "His 90.2 PFF overall grade placed fifth in the nation, as well. Dunker is a powerful player with the leg drive to pancake defenders."

While his pass-blocking grade wasn't quite as dominant, it was still solid. Dunker earned a 76.2 in that area and could improve further in 2025. Last season, the 6-foot-5, 316-pound offensive lineman allowed just two sacks and 13 pressures across 269 pass-blocking snaps. He started 11 games at right tackle and played all 588 of his snaps at that position.

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