49ers sign the first player of their 2020 NFL Draft class

The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed the first player from their 2020 NFL Draft class.

The San Francisco 49ers had a very active 2020 NFL Draft making multiple trades and moving up and down the board throughout the three-day period.

But since then, it’s been all crickets as far as their draft picks are concerned.

In total, the 49ers made five selections in the 2020 NFL Draft including first-round picks Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk. But as of Thursday, all five remained unsigned.

That changed, however, on Friday as the team announced that they had signed fifth-round offensive tackle Colton McKivitz marking the first of five draft picks to sign with the 49ers.

Considering the fact that draft pick compensation is already pre-determined, McKivitz should end up making around $3.624 million over the course of the four-year deal while it’s expected to come with a $329,780 signing bonus.

While it may seem strange that the 49ers have waited until the end of June to sign their first draft pick, it isn’t as unprecedented as it appears. The vast majority of NFL teams have been slow to sign their draft selections this year as the world deals with the effects of COVID-19.

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With teams not being able to meet with players in person, negotiations have been a slow process, especially when coupled with the difficulties surrounding acquiring physicals.

In fact, just three NFL teams have signed their entire draft class to this point — those teams being the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts.

This is hardly a unique situation.

The 49ers certainty aren’t the only team that has been slow to sign their draft picks.

Meanwhile, McKivitz will go into training camp competing for one of the backup offensive line spots on the team. A fifth-round pick out of West Virginia, McKivitz started 47 games over five years with the Mountaineers.

The 23-year-old was named Big 12 Conference Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year, first-team All-Big 12, and AP third-team All-American after a standout season that saw him anchor West Virginia’s offensive line.

Now, McKivitz will have plenty of competition for the backup offensive tackle job behind projected starters Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey. Former AAF star Daniel Brunskill and second-year pro Justin Skule will be the rookie’s primary competition.

Both Brunskill and Skule impressed when forced into action last season and will undoubtedly begin camp ahead of McKivitz on the depth chart.

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Expect to see more draft pick signings to start being announced in the coming weeks.