Overview
- ESPN analyst Mike Clay’s 2026 projection places San Francisco’s line among the NFL’s best and identifies left guard as the weakest starting role.
- The model credits stability at tackle with Trent Williams on the left and Colton McKivitz on the right, and it rates Jake Brendel as the No. 9 center.
- Right guard Dominick Puni lands in the middle tier after an up-and-down 2025, while Clay’s chart gives the 49ers the lowest projected starter grade at left guard.
- San Francisco focused on depth this offseason by keeping Williams and adding Brett Toth, Vederian Lowe, and Robert Jones, plus draft picks Carver Willis and Enrique Cruz Jr.
- An open training-camp fight at left guard with Connor Colby, Jones, Toth, and rookie Willis will shape the interior and could help a run game that faced stacked defensive boxes last season.