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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 01: Kadyn Proctor #74 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in action against the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images Earlier today, we had a Q&A with NFL Draft expert Doug Farrar over at SB Nation’s new NFL Feed*. You might have seen it promoted on the NN homepage, but if not, I made sure to get a question in for all of us Niners fans. I’ll drop in the answer below, I’ve also embedded Doug’s Q&A post below and you can check out all the conversation topics.
Doug posted a two-round mock draft (first round, second round) on Wednesday and had the 49ers picking Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor in the first round and Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas in the second round. In the comments, I asked him if he would change his pick if the 49ers get a deal done with Trent Williams before the draft. Or would he keep it the same and slot in Proctor at right tackle. His response:
I don’t know how much that would change my process. Smart personnel people know that it’s better to replace key pieces of your roster a year early as opposed to a year too late. Proctor would be serviceable right now, but he’s still in process as far as technique goes. He has improved a ton with his pass pro and movement skills, and there’s an advantage to being the size of a house. He wears it well. It’s also going to be fascinating to see what that deal is. Williams is far from done, but there have been injuries of late, and 2025 wasn’t his best season. I’d be more inclined to make Proctor the swing tackle in 2026 and prepare him to be the full-time left tackle in 2027.
That all seems pretty logical to me. If Proctor is a guy they think can slot in long-term at left tackle, it makes sense to jump on him. But if they get a deal done with Williams and see an edge rusher or another immediate impact option sitting there at 27, it’s just as reasonable to go with best player available if that’s not a tackle. We’ll see, but it’s an interesting hypothetical as we see some optimism from John Lynch.
*If you’re wondering what the NFL Feed is, it’s a stand-alone spot where you can talk whatever you want about the NFL. If you’ve got thoughts on something not related to the 49ers, you can hop over there and start up a conversation. It’s similar to the Niners Nation Feed, but for all NFL conversations! I’m happy to answer any questions about it.
