The 2025 NFL Draft features a few top-tier offensive tackle prospects, a position of need for the San Francisco 49ers. However, there's a significant drop-off in talent after the top names, making it likely the 49ers will need to use their first-round pick to secure one.
Drafting an offensive tackle would provide an upgrade over Colton McKivitz on the right side while adding a potential successor to Trent Williams on the left. While general manager John Lynch recently expressed confidence in the current group, speaking at the NFL's annual meeting in Florida, the team could still look to strengthen the position.
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Regardless of Lynch's comments, Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst and contributor Dalton Wasserman projects the 49ers making an aggressive move in his latest mock draft. He has San Francisco trading up three spots to select Missouri tackle Armand Membou at No. 8 overall.
The 49ers would send the No. 11 pick and a third-rounder (No. 100 overall) to the Carolina Panthers as part of the deal.
"The 49ers move up three spots to get ahead of New Orleans and take Membou," Wasserman wrote. "He's a perfect scheme fit for Kyle Shanahan's offense. Membou played the ninth-most outside-zone run snaps at Missouri in 2024 while posting an excellent 80.7 PFF run-blocking grade. He joins Dominick Puni to form a potentially dominant right side of San Francisco's offensive line."
Membou is the first offensive lineman off the board in Wasserman's mock draft and has become a popular selection for the 49ers in various projections. He may very well be on the team's radar after impressing at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.91-second 40-yard dash, a 9-foot-7 broad jump, and a 34-inch vertical—all standout numbers for a 332-pound prospect.
With the 49ers about to invest heavily in quarterback Brock Purdy, reinforcing the offensive line makes sense.
Membou allowed just eight pressures over 411 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 and didn't surrender a single sack. His 90.6 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus ranked fourth among all FBS offensive linemen last season, while he also posted an impressive 87.6 run-blocking grade and an 86.6 pass-blocking grade.