5 USFL Draft picks 49ers may want to watch for 2022

49ers USFL target No. 1: OL Brandon Hitner, Houston Gamblers

A less-discussed Niners offseason need will be to reinforce the offensive line.

San Francisco’s starters, when healthy, were good enough last season. Yet the lack of depth was made abundantly clear during training camp when the second- and third-string units struggled against the 49ers’ backup pass-rushers.

That depth was tested again during the regular season, too, when the Niners had to turn to Tom Compton to replace right tackle Mike McGlinchey after the latter’s season-ending injury, bypassing younger linemen like Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore.

Even if McGlinchey returns in full, San Francisco will want to stockpile the depth, and a versatile lineman like the Houston Gamblers’ Brandon Hitner could help.

Hitner, 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds out of Villanova, can play an array of different spots along the O-line. And while he projected to be more of an inside lineman entering the 2019 NFL Draft, that flexibility should at least add some competition to the mix for who winds up being the 49ers’ primary backups heading into 2022.

One scouting report on Hitner suggested he’d be a much better fit in a zone-style blocking scheme, too, meaning his maturation with the USFL could draw interest from the Niners if he winds up playing at a high level.