The San Francisco 49ers have something of a knack for stashing and subsequently developing less-known offensive linemen.
Starting center Jake Brendel is a perfect example, previously a journeyman veteran who rarely ascended beyond being a training camp body and practice squad player around the league before joining the Niners and eventully turning into a first-team option in 2022.
San Francisco might be hoping for the same out of second-year pro center Drake Nugent.
Nugent, a 2024 undrafted free-agent pickup out of Michigan, won a national championship with the Wolverines the previous year, yet that pedigree didn't translate to the 6-foot-1 and 300-pound lineman's name getting called during the NFL Draft.
However, with relatively few pure centers on the roster behind Brendel, the 49ers may look at Nugent as a realistic go-to contingency plan if their starter suffers some sort of injury.
And that might be the key for Nugent's ascent up the depth chart and onto the 53-man roster.
Drake Nugent's 53-man roster chances with 49ers increase in Year 2
Head coach Kyle Shanahan prefers experience at center over youthful promise, which helps explain why nearly every one of his centers have been longstanding veterans, Brendel included.
A year into the system, albeit one spent almost entirely on the practice squad, Nugent has a better edge than he did in 2024. Called up from the practice squad in December of last year, although not getting any on-field snaps, the Niners nevertheless can hope the lineman's ascent promises more in 2025.
Nugent's smaller stature might work against him, and he won't exactly have a free pass toward becoming Brendel's primary backup. If anything, San Francisco's 2024 pickup of former Atlanta Falcons lineman Matt Hennessy potentially blocks Nugent's path toward making the 53-man roster.
That said, Hennessy isn't necessarily a clear-cut upgrade over Nugent, the former also a practice squad name after kicking off his own career primarily as a backup for Atlanta.
Nugent's time during training camp and the preseason will be vital in determining which option is best for the 49ers to promote to the No. 2 role in support of Brendel.
A year ago, Nugent might have been a long shot. In 2025, his chances are much more realistic.