There are always some surprise selections in the first round of the NFL Draft and, in his final 2024 mock for ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. has the San Francisco 49ers making one.

Kiper is sticking with the Niners making an eyebrow-raising pick and taking Washington offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten with the 31st overall selection.

While the 49ers unquestionably need a long-term answer at right tackle, Rosengarten is not widely regarded as a tackle worthy of first-round consideration.

However, he did not allow a sack in 625 pass-blocking snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus, and, between the foot speed that allowed him to excel in pass protection and his physical upside as a run blocker in space, Rosengarten has the profile that the 49ers typically look for at the tackle position.

And he has two links to the franchise that potentially make this surprise pick much more likely.

Rosengarten played his high school football for Ed McCaffrey, a Super Bowl winner with the 49ers in 1994 and father of San Francisco's Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey. As he explained to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, McCaffrey gave Rosengarten an in-depth knowledge of the zone-blocking scheme that remains a foundational part of the 49er attack. 

Said Rosengarten:

"I think athleticism is one of my strengths. I love that inside zone blocking scheme. We ran zone throughout my high school and college career. We ran the West Coast Offense from the Shanahan coaching tree at Washington. I played for former NFL player Ed McCaffrey in high school at Valor Christian. McCaffrey installed that offense within our coaching staff. He literally had playbooks from when he got drafted in the 1990s (laughs). He literally brought those playbooks to high school."

During the draft process, Rosengarten has been working with 49ers franchise legend Joe Staley, San Francisco's starting left tackle from 2007 to 2019.

Rosengarten compares extremely well athletically with Staley and said of his work with the six-time Pro Bowler:

"Joe Staley is the best of the best when it comes to offensive line play in my opinion. He’s done an amazing job developing us throughout this process. He played through two different eras of football. There’s really nothing he can’t cover. He played from like 2007 to 2019. He’s played in different schemes. His familiarity with football is outstanding. He’s done a great job with me in the pass game and run game. I’ve picked up all sorts of tips and tricks from him along the way."

An athletically gifted tackle who has thrived in pass protection and worked with two former 49ers that have tremendous knowledge of the blocking schemes run by Kyle Shanahan, Rosengarten would be in an excellent position to succeed with San Francisco.

It may be a reach, but it's not difficult to see why the 49ers might be willing to take Rosengarten earlier than expected.

In the second round of his mock, Kiper has the 49ers selecting Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips.

Phillips would be unlikely to start year one with Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and free agent signing Isaac Yiadom likely to fill the top-three spots on the depth chart.

But Ward, Lenoir and Yiadom are all free agents next offseason and, with his experience of impressing in zone coverage and playing inside and out at Kentucky, Phillips boasts traits that make him a strong fit to be a long-term starter depending on which members that trio depart in 2025.

And, with Phillips on the 49ers' list of top-30 visits, they clearly have at least some interest in adding him to their secondary.

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