49ers should consider offensive line at No. 13 in the 2020 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have a few positions they’re eyeing in the 2020 NFL Draft, but if the opportunity presents itself, they should take an offensive lineman at pick No. 13.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ decision to trade away DeForest Buckner for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is a decision that will be analyzed for years to come. But much of the determination will be based on who the team ultimately selects with that pick.

Simply put, the 49ers better make it count.

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There are many different directions they could go with their first of two first-round picks. Of course, the team might even look to trade down in the first round — possibly with this very pick.

But if they do stay put at No. 13, the overwhelming expectation is that they’ll address the huge need at wide receiver with one of the top players in the class. This year’s receiver class is expected to be historically great and the 49ers might just wind up with their pick of the litter.

The likes of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs III should all hear their names called around the 13th pick with very few options in front of San Francisco expected to go that route.

Perhaps their greatest threat is their former crosstown rivals, the newly re-named Las Vegas Raiders, who select just one pick before them at No. 12. Either way, the 49ers will have options at receiver.

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But given the depth in this class, perhaps that might not be the way to go. Maybe trading down at pick No. 31 and addressing receiver on Day 2 is a more intriguing option.

So if not receiver, what other positions could the 49ers target?

They could look to draft Buckner’s replacement in a player like South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw if he falls to No. 13. And if a player like Auburn’s Derrick Brown somehow made it to No. 13, it would be hard to pass up on him.

But again, there is a better, more unnoticed route the 49ers could take. What if the 49ers take an offensive lineman with the No. 13 overall pick?

The release of Mike Person has left the team with a gaping hole at right guard that the likes of Tom Compton and Daniel Brunskill aren’t going to fill effectively. That’s why various mock drafts have had the 49ers taking an interior lineman at the end of the first round.

Someone like Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz makes a ton of sense at that spot. But what if they could land an impact offensive lineman earlier?

This draft class is stacked at the top with four can’t-miss offensive tackle prospects. Yes, you read that right — offensive tackle.

Joe Staley is still playing at a high level, but he’ll be 36-years-old in August and will be a free agent after 2021, but the 49ers could conceivably get out of his deal at any point with minimal dead cap.

Drafting his eventual replacement is an intriguing possibility, especially if that player can shift over to right guard and fill Person’s role for the time being. Out of the top four, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs could be best fit for that role.

Of course, this would require one of the four top linemen falling to the 49ers at No. 13 which very possibly might not happen. But if it does — especially if it’s an athletic, scheme-fit lineman like Wirfs or Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, the 49ers would be foolish to pass.

The receiver class is deep and the 49ers’ defensive line depth is already strong. But drafting an offensive lineman would fill an immediate hole while simultaneously planning for the future.

If the opportunity arises, the 49ers should seriously consider drafting an offensive tackle at pick No. 13.