SF 49ers: Rookie report-card grades halfway through 2020 season

Round 5: SF 49ers Offensive Lineman Colton McKivitz

From Round 1 all the way down to Round 5 of the NFL Draft, there’s a notable drop from the kind of production and its expected level from Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk to the SF 49ers’ fifth-round selection, West Virginia offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.

Granted, McKivitz hasn’t exactly been given a lot of field time to showcase his value. To date, he’s seen just 35 offensive snaps and has allowed one pressure during that timeframe.

So looking at Pro Football Focus‘ 54.6 overall grade for him is a bit misleading.

Yet there’s justification for knocking McKivitz down to a D-plus mark.

In Week 9, with starting left tackle Trent Williams on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Niners elected to start second-year swing tackle Justin Skule against the visiting Green Bay Packers. That move didn’t go well, as Skule surrendered multiple pressures and was responsible for the strip-sack fumble by quarterback Nick Mullens that led directly to Packers points.

Why Kyle Shanahan elected not to insert McKivitz into the lineup late in the game is a pretty good indicator where the rookie lineman is in his first-year development.

Not likely far along, that’s where.