49ers NFL Draft: 2022 7-round mock just before trade deadline

Round 7, Pick No. 252 Overall (Compensatory): 49ers select offensive lineman Ben Brown, Ole Miss

San Francisco is projected to receive two compensatory picks in this year’s draft, both coming in Round 7, which isn’t exactly the time to hope for plug-and-play options.

But that wouldn’t necessarily be the need for Ole Miss center/guard Ben Brown.

Brown, 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, has split time at both of these positions, and if there’s one positive trait that stands out above the rest, it’s his ability to identify blitzes and call out protections from the middle of the offensive line.

The 49ers still don’t have a true center to back up and/or eventually replace their current veteran, Alex Mack, and Kyle Shanahan has a strong preference for experience over brute talent anyway at this position.

With Mack under contract through next year, there’d be no need to rush Brown into the fray.

Instead, he’d serve as that immediate reserve with the potential upside of possibly working his way into the starting lineup once Mack’s tenure is finished.