The San Francisco 49ers are very much focused on the present rather than the future as they look to end the 2023 NFL season by bringing home a sixth Super Bowl title, which would be their first since the 1994 campaign.

But the scouting department will already know the 2024 NFL Draft inside out as they prepare for an annual selection meeting in which the 49ers will have a first-round pick after successive drafts that have seen them sit out the opening night.

San Francisco is likely to be picking very late in the first round and will hope to be making the final selection, but that does not mean the 49ers cannot land a prospect who can help them in both the short and long term.

In his first mock draft, in which the 49ers select 30th overall, The Athletic's Dane Brugler has San Francisco selecting:

Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

If the name looks familiar to you, you're either very plugged in on the draft process or Oregon State football, or you read the recent A to Z Sports mock draft in which Fuaga was also the selection for the 49ers.

In that draft, the 49ers were 26th in the draft order but, while mocks are most often not indicative of what teams are thinking, Brugler's suggests Fuaga could be available for the Niners even if they are among the final three teams to pick in the first round.

Brugler writes of Fuaga:

"With his firm hands and finishing mentality, Fuaga is the best run-blocking lineman I have studied this draft cycle, especially with his ability in zone. His feet get tied up when he gets too upright in pass protection (see: his 2023 Washington tape), but he can keep speed wide of the pocket and help answer the 49ers’ struggles at right tackle."

Able to get to the second level in a hurry in the run game, Fuaga's blend of power and athleticism makes him an ideal fit for a 49er ground game that relies heavily on both zone and gap scheme plays.

San Francisco went with former fifth-round pick Colton McKivitz as their starting right tackle this season following the departure of Mike McGlinchey in free agency. They have gotten average starter-level play from McKivitz, but it's a stretch to call him a long-term solution at this point.

Fuaga could be such an answer and would provide the 49ers financial flexibility in serving as a starter under a rookie contract for as many as five years. They would not have to move on from McKivitz, who is a free agent in 2025 and could potentially compete for a starting role with Fuaga and provide another option at guard having played there in his rookie year.

The 49ers need two things up front, a plan for the future at both tackle spots and depth. As such, Fuaga would represent an extremely smart selection at the end of the first round.

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