The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of options in the NFL Draft. They have plenty of needs to address and if they decide to improve the offensive line then former 49ers safety Donte Whitner has a very specific archetype he wants the team to pursue at left guard.
On the Grit Code Podcast, Whitner said the following about what he wants the Niners to have at left guard: “At left guard, I want him to be big, black, ugly, and mean. I want him to think that he’s the best dresser in the world because it matters…when somebody sees him get his [expletive] kicked on live TV that’s gonna hurt him more than anything.”
It’s a very colorful image that Whitner paints and later in the podcast he reveals that he actually has a player in mind who fits his specific archetype: Emmanuel Pregnon of Oregon.
Donte Whitner wants the 49ers to draft Emmanuel Pregnon at Pick 27
Whitner used some very colorful language to describe what he likes about Pregnon, but basically he likes his toughness and the fact that he was out there pretty much every snap during his Oregon career. He is 6-foot-4 and weighs 314 pounds. That’s a big guy so he certainly seems to meet the interesting criteria that Whitner spoke about.
Pregnon is projected to go early in the second round so San Francisco may not be in a position to draft him. Maybe they could reach a bit and take him with the No. 27 overall pick in Round 1 but he will probably be off the board by the time they pick late in Round 2.
Perhaps they could trade up to try to get him early in the second round, but the Niners have not really prioritized the offensive line in recent drafts.
That may have to change given the fact that Trent Williams is older now and the team probably doesn’t want to have a protracted standoff with him every single offseason.
The Niners could draft Pregnon and hope that he shifts from left guard to left tackle whenever Williams departs. That would at least give them some semblance of a backup plan which is more than what they currently have.
Some mock drafts have San Francisco selection tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round so if they did that then there’s no way the Niners would get Pregnon.
If the Niners didn’t address left guard in the draft, there would probably be a competition between Connor Colby, Robert Jones, and Brett Toth to be the starter. Fans have been wanting the Niners to improve the offensive line for years, so maybe 2026 is the year they will heed Whitner’s advice and add a new presence up front.
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