Ranking 49ers' 5 biggest head-scratching moves from 2023 offseason
By Peter Panacy
49ers head-scratching move No. 3: Not taking an O-lineman in NFL Draft
The 49ers entered the 2023 NFL Draft with 11 total picks, and it wasn't hard to find mocks and team-need breakdowns out there suggesting John Lynch would grab an offensive lineman or two.
Instead, the Niners grabbed precisely zero linemen with what turned into their nine picks.
San Francisco could afford to add at least one, preferably two. After all, it lost Mike McGlinchey and Daniel Brunskill via free agency. And while the 49ers added veteran linemen in Jon Feliciano and Matt Pryor, finding some younger options to develop would have been wise.
In one case, namely in Round 3 where the Niners had three picks, Lynch could have targeted and drafted one player commonly mocked to San Francisco, BYU offensive tackle Blake Freeland, whom the Indianapolis Colts ultimately selected in Round 4 at No. 106 overall.
There were also plenty of starting-caliber interior linemen available in the middle rounds, too, yet the 49ers elected to pass and went with what might be viewed as luxury picks.
Two of them, to be precise.