The events of last weekend appeared to offer a major clue as to which offensive tackle the San Francisco 49ers are targeting in the 2024 NFL Draft.
General manager John Lynch and offensive line coach Chris Foerster headed to Seattle to take in a Washington Huskies spring practice, before staying behind to put Roger Rosengarten through his paces in a private workout.
Mel Kiper Jr. tabbed Rosengarten to the 49ers in the first round of successive mock drafts, and his connections to the franchise through Ed McCaffrey and Joe Staley would seem to put him in a good position to be taken by San Francisco. However, the 49ers have now given a clear indication that another tackle is firmly in the first-round mix.
The 49ers hosted Kingsley Suamataia for a top-30 visit, it was revealed on Tuesday, the BYU tackle appearing on the Instagram story of Utah safety Sione Vaki, who had previously been reported as visiting with San Francisco, at the Niners' facility.
San Francisco previously held a formal interview with Suamataia at the Combine.
The cousin of Detroit Lions All-Pro Penei Sewell, Suamataia is an extremely polished prospect despite being only 21 years of age. With experience at both right and left tackle, he could serve as an immediate upgrade on Colton McKivitz on the right and as an eventual successor to All-Pro Trent Williams on the left.
While his athleticism is a tick below that of Rosengarten, Suamataia still possesses tremendous physical upside for a player of his 6ft 4in and 326 pound frame. Indeed, Suamataia's efforts at the Combine saw him post an A to Z Sports athletic composite score of 93.1 %, 11th among all offensive linemen.
Suamataia plays with an enticing combination of foot quickness and power. He is efficient but controlled in getting into his pass set and does excellent work with his hands, landing strong strikes while keeping his hands active and alert to the threat of counters.
The strength in his hands allows him to maintain control when he locks on to a pass rusher, and Suamataia plays with a wide base that gives him regular opportunities to anchor. Fast out of his stance in the run game, Suamataia doesn't have any issues getting to the second level when asked to block in space and, on gap scheme plays, he can drive defenders off the ball with little difficulty.
A finisher who brings a mean streak to his game, the 49ers may well be willing to overlook some consistency issues — which are most apparent against leveraged bull rushes and on plays where he fails to find his target at the second level — to land a prospect with both an impressively refined skill set and enticing room to grow.
Just a matter of days ago, several signs pointed to the 49ers making the surprise selection of Rosengarten. Suamataia's visit to the Bay Area suggests you should not pencil anybody's name in at tackle for the 49ers just yet.
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