49ers focus on trenches, depth in post-NFL Combine mock draft

With the 2023 NFL Combine in the books, Niner Noise hammers out a 49ers mock draft with the primary attention point being at the line of scrimmage.

The San Francisco 49ers hopefully found themselves a few gems to watch in the wake of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine over the weekend.

And, given the track record that general manager John Lynch and his staff have for identifying and selecting late-round talent, perhaps it’s a good thing the Niners will focus the bulk of their NFL Draft attention from Round 3 onward.

San Francisco doesn’t have a first- or second-round pick this year, of course, but there may be up to 11 picks, many of them compensatory in nature, and it isn’t as if Lynch and Co. are hurting for needs on the roster.

Particularly in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

In Niner Noise’s first mock draft after the NFL Combine, let’s take a look at what the 49ers do with those picks and whether or not they can solve some notable issues with hidden-gem talent.

Note: We used FanSpeak to create the randomness of 31 other teams over seven rounds.

Round 3, pick No. 99 overall (compensatory): 49ers select center Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan

One of the lessons the Niners should have learned from the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs was that it pays off to invest heavily in the offensive line.

While San Francisco’s O-line performed well enough over the course of 2022, it was manhandled during the NFC Championship game by the Philadelphia Eagles. And, with right tackle Mike McGlinchey and center Jake Brendel both hitting free agency, the 49ers should at least use one of their compensatory third-round picks, if not more, to find a plug-and-play prospect.

Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi has been a popular mock choice for the Niners at this spot and ended up being the best prospect available on the FanSpeak big board, too.

A four-year starter with plenty of experience, Oluwatimi is a better run-blocking option coming out of college and will need some better pass-blocking technique.

That said, he’d be one of the few options who would be able to start on a stacked Niners roster right away.