49ers NFL Draft: 2022 7-round mock just before trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
Round 4, Pick No. 112 Overall: 49ers select offensive guard Emil Ekiyor, Alabama
Crimson Tide . Emil Ekiyor. 112. player. 829. . Offensive Guard
Similar to the cornerback situation, albeit not as dreadful, San Francisco already has to start thinking about long-term options along the offensive line.
Left guard Laken Tomlinson, easily the 49ers’ most reliable lineman the past four years, is a free agent next year, and he could easily command top dollar for an interior guard. The Niners might not be in a position to pony up that kind of cash, which puts even more emphasis on what’s looking like an early whiff on their second-round selection from 2021, offensive guard Aaron Banks.
And for those thinking right guard Daniel Brunskill can step in and fill the void, he’s a restricted free agent in 2022, too.
Either way, even if Banks turns things around, San Francisco needs to reinforce the interior, and Alabama guard Emil Ekiyor would be a fantastic pickup early in day three of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ekiyor is one of the latest in a long run of quality Crimson Tide linemen. And while there’s some power to his game, the 6-foot-3, 324-pound guard also has some solid lateral-movement skills that suggest he could do much better in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme.
Something Banks didn’t possess.