A growing trend among San Francisco 49ers mock drafts in recent weeks, at least after they grabbed wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, has been selecting an offensive tackle at No. 27 overall.
It makes sense. Regardless of what happens between the Niners and stalwart left tackle Trent Williams in the wake of their contractual standoff, general manager John Lynch and Co. have to start thinking about a Williams succession plan. After all, the future Hall of Famer will turn age 38 before Week 1 and is only under contract through 2026.
Fortunately for San Francisco, there are plenty of likable offensive tackle prospects toward the top of this year's draft class.
One of them, though, should give Lynch plenty of concerns and might be better considered by the 49ers as a no-go.
49ers drafting Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor would be too risky
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor actually showed up on ESPN's Mel Kiper's mock draft for the Niners a while ago, and even the well-renowned draft pundit admitted the prospect's "tape is all over the place."
With no franchise-cornerstone hits in Round 1 of the draft since the 2019 selection of defensive end Nick Bosa, San Francisco can't exactly afford to burn a high-end pick on a player who is anything but a sure thing.
Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick dove a little deeper into Proctor, even putting him on a concerning "boom-or-bust" list ahead of the draft:
"Proctor finally put his freakish tools together this past season, posting an 86.1 PFF grade that placed fourth among all tackles in the country. However, he has been prone to getting beaten by speed rushers in the past and often struggles in space, thanks to his gargantuan 6-foot-7, 366-pound frame. Those issues lead some to question whether the projected top-20 pick can stick at tackle long term in the NFL or if he needs to kick inside to guard."
Now, there's room for hope if Proctor winds up being the 49ers pick and (the '"and" is important) Williams remains in the fold for another year or two, thereby allowing the very-unpolished prospect to fully hone his abilities.
However, Williams' immediate future in the Bay Area is anything but certain, meaning the choice of using a first-round pick on a player who may never truly be a starting-caliber tackle should generate an easy answer.
"No."