Niners Eyeing Left Guard in Draft

0:00It's April 9th. This is NFL News Today, AI-powered stories from around the league. I'm Cory with the story. The San Francisco 49ers are eyeing a left guard in the 2026 NFL draft and General Manager John Lynch just said they want one more. Name in the starting mix. Reports say they might grab him as early as round one, even though no guard screams sure fire a top pick right now. Caden Proctor from Alabama stands out as the top profile, playing tackle in college, but fitting guard perfectly. Then there's Chase by Sontis from Texas A&M, Emmanuel Pregnant from Oregon, and Keelan Rutledge from Georgia Tech, all projected to go before pick. 58 with rumors of late round one sneaks. Hype is building around these guys, especially Rutledge, who jumped from third round talk to first in some mocks thanks to his massive size and nasty. Teams love that combo for a solid floor, but his gap scheme background might clash with the Niners zone heavy offense.

1:01By Sontis brings left guard experience from a zone system like San Francisco's, though he needs more power perfect since they scheme to move there. Guards Pregnant has starting reps at left guard and power schemes, but questions on foot speed for the transition. Proctor? His floor is quality starter, sealing like Trent Williams, making him the dream pick. It proctors off the board by Sontis fits next best for day one impact, keeping that line dominant as the Niners chase another ring.