Daniel Jeremiah has 49ers doing something they've never done under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in first 2025 mock draft
The San Francisco 49ers have needs on both sides of the trenches this offseason, so the fact NFL Media draft expert Daniel Jeremiah had them spending the 11th overall pick to bolster one of their fronts is no shock. But the identity of the player selected in his first mock of this year's draft cycle […]
The San Francisco 49ers have needs on both sides of the trenches this offseason, so the fact NFL Media draft expert Daniel Jeremiah had them spending the 11th overall pick to bolster one of their fronts is no shock.
But the identity of the player selected in his first mock of this year's draft cycle is something of a surprise.
Jeremiah has the 49ers taking Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou.
The likes of Will Campbell and Kelvin Banks Jr. figure to firmly in the conversation if the 49ers are considering taking a tackle with their first pick in the draft.
Despite playing the vast majority of his career at right tackle, a position where the 49ers would benefit from having a long-term option who could immediately compete to take the starting job away from Colton McKivitz, Jeremiah views Membou as a guard at the next level.
That may in part be down to the fact that Membou is 6ft 3in, which is considered small for a tackle in the pros.
But Jeremiah believes his ceiling at guard at the highest level is extremely high.
He wrote: "Membou is the most technically sound offensive lineman in this class. He reminds me of Aljah Vera-Tucker when he entered the league. Membou will be an exceptional guard who can also play tackle if needed."
The Niners have not taken an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft since 2018 when they selected Mike McGlinchey ninth round.
However, if the 49ers designate Membou as guard, then his selection would mark a first under the leadership of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
San Francisco has not taken a guard in the first round since 2016, the final year of Trent Baalke's tenure as GM, when they traded back into round one to take Joshua Garnett out of Stanford.
That selection did not work out, as Garnett was off the team before the start of the 2019 season.
Shanahan and the Niners have, in recent years, showed more of a willingness to spend high draft capital on guards, picking Aaron Banks in the second round in 2021 and Dominick Puni in the third round last year.
Puni was named to the All-Rookie team for a strong first season but, with left guard Banks set for free agency, it would make sense for the Niners to fortify the interior of the O-Line by spending a premium pick on that area of the team. The question they must answer is whether Membou is promising enough for San Francisco to bypass other needs on the defensive line to take him.
