Field Yates offers 7 OL targets for 49ers after Round 1

TL;DR

The San Francisco 49ers are unlikely to draft an offensive lineman with their No. 27 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, focusing instead on later rounds. ESPN's Field Yates suggests seven potential targets, including second-round option Austin Barber and four fourth-round prospects.

The odds that the San Francisco 49ers draft an offensive lineman with the No. 27 pick of the first round aren't zero, but reports certainly seem to indicate they're pretty low. ESPN's Matt Miller said the 49ers don't consider the offensive line a priority in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft, meaning they'll likely look to add to that unit later in the draft.

With just five picks in the next four rounds (including one in the second and four in the fourth), the 49ers will have to be surgical if they want to add depth at the offensive line. ESPN's Field Yates had some ideas of prospects he likes in the fourth round, as well as one second-round option for San Francisco.

He told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco on the "49ers Talk" podcast that his favorite fourth-round linemen for the 49ers are Memphis's Travis Burke, Texas A&M's Dametrious Crownover, Miami's Markel Bell, Boston College's Jude Bowry, Penn State's Drew Shelton and Boise State's Kage Casey. As for a second-round option, Yates says Florida's Austin Barber would be a good pick for San Francisco.

What do all seven of these prospects have in common? They're giant and athletic. Burke and Bell are 6-foot-9, Crownover and Barber are 6-foot-7, Casey is 6-foot-6 and Bowry and Shelton are both 6-foot-5. All but Bell and Casey ran the 40-yard dash in under 5.2 seconds, which ranks among the top 30 for all offensive linemen who ran at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Since most of the top offensive linemen will likely be gone by the No. 27 pick, it makes sense for the 49ers to wait on the position and try some developmental dart throws on Day 3. If Trent Williams returns, an early-round lineman likely wouldn't even start until 2027 at the earliest, so the player would have a year to develop regardless of which round they were picked. Additionally, the 49ers have notoriously waited for the offensive line anyway and still netted positive results.

This is at least a good list of names for fans and the team to consider with so many fourth-round picks.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL draft: Field Yates offers 7 OL targets for 49ers after Round 1

Q&A

Who are the top offensive linemen suggested for the 49ers in the 2026 NFL draft?

Field Yates recommends seven offensive linemen for the 49ers, including second-round option Austin Barber and four fourth-round prospects: Travis Burke, Dametrious Crownover, Markel Bell, Jude Bowry, Drew Shelton, and Kage Casey.

Why are the 49ers not prioritizing an offensive lineman with their first-round pick?

Reports indicate that the 49ers do not consider the offensive line a priority for the No. 27 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, suggesting they will address this need in later rounds.

What are the heights and athleticism of the linemen suggested for the 49ers?

The recommended linemen range from 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-9, with most running the 40-yard dash in under 5.2 seconds, showcasing their athleticism among top offensive line prospects.