49ers giving Day-3 pick a chance to earn a starting job as a rookie

Earlier this offseason, the San Francisco 49ers lost two guards, Ben Bartch and Spencer Burford, in free agency, both of whom started games for the team in the 2025 campaign.

San Francisco signed Robert Jones and Brett Toth as veteran options to compete with 2025 seventh-round pick Connor Colby for the starting job between Trent Williams and Jake Brendel.

However, another name is getting tossed into the mix, as 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak announced at a recent media availability that rookie Carver Willis will start practicing at left guard.

Willis, 24, played collegiately at Kansas State for five years before transferring to Washington for a final season. Between the two schools, he played 1,179 snaps at right tackle, 584 at left tackle and just two at left guard.

"The biggest transition [for Willis] is probably, [at] guard, there's always more moving parts. We always talk about that," Kubiak said. "Guards, you have to worry about different techniques, different alignments. There's a little bit more to think about playing guard, but we're confident he can do it. Just the transition to the NFL is inherently going to be challenging, but that's why we drafted the guy. We think he's a really bright guy."

While Willis is going up against a few players with NFL experience, none of them have looked great in their opportunities, so the rookie should have a fair chance to win the job.