The San Francisco 49ers announced a series of roster moves ahead of their final home game of the season against the Detroit Lions. One move was a formality, but could mean that a former high draft pick has played his final game with the Niners.

San Francisco placed guard Aaron Banks on injured reserve, ending his season.

Banks, a 2021 second-round pick, suffered an MCL injury against the Miami Dolphins last week, so his move to IR was expected. An unrestricted free agent in 2025, Banks now faces an uncertain future.

Asked on Thursday if Banks' injury could impact his free agency, head coach Kyle Shanahan replied: "No, no. He is going to be good in a few weeks they say."

While placing Banks on IR, the 49ers activated linebacker Tatum Bethune back to the 53.

Bethune was placed on IR in November with a knee injury, but will hope to make an impression over the final two games to state his case for a bigger role in 2025. 

The 49ers also made two elevations from the practice squad, bringing up defensive end Alex Barrett and rookie offensive lineman Drake Nugent.

Nugent, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan, is in line to make his NFL debut.

He was a center for the Wolverines but saw time at center and guard in the preseason. 

Nugent has a connection with offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who said back in May: "Nugent is a good guy. Okay Nugent, here’s a good story. His dad and I played college football together. He was the quarterback; I was the center, so we had a very special relationship. The dad, his name is Terry. 

"Drake, we watched him at Michigan. He was at Stanford. We looked at all the Michigan linemen and we got to the end of the draft. We got to the week before the draft, we started looking at the guys that we think are going to be drafted sixth, seventh, or not be drafted at all. He fits our style. 

"He is the more undersized, quick guy that plays with a lot of leverage and things like that, that may not be big enough. May not quite be the prototypical starter guy. But he does have some of those traits that that we really like, and he fits our system really well. That’s what we saw. Even though Michigan really didn’t highlight outside zone at all. 

"PFF has this thing where they categorize the play by outside, inside, and gap scheme. They had like, 17 outside zones the whole season, and they ran the crap out of the ball. So, it was hard. But you had to look at his testing, and we did like him a lot. Really good kid. And, and personally because knowing the dad, knowing the family, I felt really good about the character of the kid as well. So, we liked that as well."

Nugent hasn't seen playing time this season despite all the positives Foerster espoused, but in his elevation he is finally seeing some reward for his patience.

49ers make a late addition to their roster ahead of final home game of the season vs. Lions

He may have a chance to impress in Week 18.