The San Francisco 49ers were one of the few teams who sat out from Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Their first-round pick was traded to the Miami Dolphins two years ago and ended up in the hands of the New Orleans Saints after two more trades were made. But, they will have to wait a little bit longer before joining in on the drafting fun.
Unless they make a trade, San Francisco won’t be on the clock in Round 2 either. Their first selection of the 2023 NFL Draft isn’t slated to be until No. 99, where they will make three out of the four next selections.
The 49ers are also without a pick in the fourth round but have eight selections from Round 5 and on. This is a deep, talented roster with no real glaring holes, so the team’s focus will be on adding depth across the board. One area you can never have too much depth is in the trenches.
San Francisco has a talented offensive line, but there was an opening created with right tackle Mike McGlinchey signing a massive contract in free agency with the Denver Broncos. So, it should come as no surprise that the 49ers are one of the teams showing real interest in UCLA offensive lineman Jon Gaines.
According to MLFootball on Twitter, over half of the league has shown some level of interest in Gaines. Along with the 49ers, the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts were mentioned. One general manager in the league spoke very highly of Gaines’ athleticism as well.
“Jon is the most athletically gifted OL of this class, had a very strong pre-draft process, and with his great versatility has risen up many teams’ boards.”
Gaines has experience all over the offensive line. He started games for the Bruins at center, guard and tackle, bringing a level of versatility very few in this class can rival. It doesn’t hurt that his football IQ is also extremely high.
There are some things to clean up in his technique, but the potential is there for Gaines to develop into a starter at the next level. Any franchise that can show some patience could be rewarded as his athleticism is truly elite for an offensive lineman.
That makes him an ideal target for the 49ers. They can afford to develop him as there isn’t a need to rush him into the lineup. After a year or two when changes need to be made, Gaines will hopefully be ready to step into that role.
