The 49ers started three different players at left guard last season, and the leader – 2022 fourth-round pick Spencer Burford – signed with the Raiders in free agency.
That left 2025 seventh-rounder Connor Colby (six starts, 454 snaps) and veteran Ben Bartch (two starts, 195 snaps) as the main candidates for the starting job in 2026. The team then signed former Dolphins starter Robert Jones in free agency as additional competition, and more is expected to come.
“We’re not done yet,” general manager John Lynch said (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur), indicating that San Francisco could target the position in the draft.
It is a good year to need guard talent. Penn State’s Vega Ioane is considered an elite prospect at the position, and Utah tackle Spencer Fano has been tabbed for a move to the interior due to his arm length. Both are expected to be drafted in the first round, with a slew of guards (or potential tackle-guard converts) available on Days 2 and 3 as well.
With a starting competition on tap, the 49ers may not feel compelled to use their first-round pick (No. 27 overall) on a guard, if Ioane or Fano are even available. Their second-rounder (No. 58 overall) might make sense for Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon or Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis, but both will likely be drafted by that point.
But Lynch has indicated that one of the 49ers’ four Day 3 picks – all in the fourth round – will be used on an offensive lineman who can factor in the guard competition. There are no shortage of options, though San Francisco will no doubt be looking for fleet-footed blockers who best fit Kyle Shanahan‘s zone scheme.
Ben Bartch is no longer with the 49ers, I believe he was signed by the Lions.
As of right now, the 49ers options for the starting LG spot are Conner Colby, Robert Jones, Brett Toth, and then the aforementioned draft pick, if they choose to go that route. Although, Lynch basically stated that Toth will primarily be taking over Matt Hennessey’s role as the back-up C, and he will also serve as Guard depth. I believe he said Toth still has a chance to win the starting LG spot, but I believe it will ultimately come down to a three man race between Jones, Colby, and the draft pick.
Well, speaking of draft picks, I am personally hoping the 49ers use one of their 4th Round selections to draft UGA Guard, Micah Morris. The 49ers could implement more power in their running game, and Morris would be the perfect prospect to be able to thrive in those concepts, due to his sheer amount of raw power, and how quickly he is able to positively change the LOS. That being said, Morris also has the athleticism and versatility to thrive in a ZB gap scheme as well. I think he is a severely underrated Guard prospect in this draft, but due to the fact he did not really start until this past season, some teams are not as faniliar with his game as some other prospects who started for multiple seasons.
Now, it isn’t like Morris was playing second fiddle to some scrubs. At UGA he was behind the likes of two very solid starting NFL Guards in Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild, who both immediately made an impact at the NFL level during their rookie seasons.
Even with those two in the line-up, UGA could not keep Morris off the field, and he was able to see his fair share of snaps for multiple seasons. He just wasn’t able to tally the same number of starts and snaps as some of his peers. If you dig a little bit, and take a look at Morris’ numbers from last season, it won’t take long to see why this young man is so special. He was an absolute anchor all year long for UGA, and did not allow a sack on any of his pass blocking reps. He also consistently pushed his opponents backwards, and helped create plenty of running lanes for UGA’s RBs. It wasn’t a fluke that UGA often decided to run behind Monroe Freeling and Micah Morris. Freeling, himself, is projected to be a top 10 pick, and that is also despite getting a significant number of starts under his belt.
Just like with Freeling, Morris’ talent is undeniable. He might not be the athletic specimen that Freeling is, but Morris’ strengths translate very well to the NFL game, and whichever that drafts him, will be getting a future stud and future fixture at the Guard spot along their OL for the next seven to eight years, minimum.