49ers found an unexpected offensive hero in hard-fought win vs. Saints

The San Francisco 49ers' heavy reliance on their crop of 2025 NFL Draft picks has certainly been evident over the first two weeks of the season, and despite some notable mistakes over the brief span, there have been more than a handful of positive developments.

Defensive end Mykel Williams, the Niners' top pick from last April, surely made his presence felt during the 26-21 road victory over the New Orleans Saints. Yet that might be expected from a top-15 selection.

Far less expected was the impact seventh-round rookie offensive guard Connor Colby seeing significant snaps and performing well in the process.

Colby entered the game relatively early, following an ankle injury to starting left guard Ben Bartch, who didn't return. And while the former Iowa lineman didn't exactly hear his name called for some exemplary block or pancake, he certainly didn't set himself up to be a liability either.

If anything, his workmanlike performance is exemplary in and of itself.

Connor Colby unexpectedly shines for 49ers in emergency fill-in role

Colby originally seemed to be a long shot to make San Francisco's 53-man roster right out of the gate, yet a solid preseason campaign helped him earn a backup spot behind Bartch and right guard Dominick Puni.

Yet the rookie was still seen as a massive work in progress with regard to pass protection, particularly stemming from Iowa's run-heavy system.

One wouldn't know it by watching Colby's efforts in NOLA.

According to Pro Football Focus, Colby appeared on 38 pass-blocking snaps and surrendered precisely zero sacks, zero pressures and zero quarterback hits, earning a solid 73.1 pass-blocking grade in the process.

While his 55.4 run-blocking grade left room for improvement, it's safe to say Colby's presence was a net-positive for quarterback Mac Jones and the rest of the 49ers offense.

Bartch's injury will be something to monitor, but it's certainly a valid point to suggest Colby would be an upgrade in a starter's role even after the former is able to return to action.

Yes, New Orleans' defense isn't exactly pinned to be an elite-performing unit, and Colby will have his growing pains when tasked with matching up against tougher competition.

That said, the early results from the rookie's first meaningful action were impressive, and he might be the latest installment of the Niners' seemingly yearly late-round draft gems if he can keep it up.