Colton

McKivitz

McKivitz was in the final year of his deal and is now tied to the Niners through the 2028 season. The sixth-year tackle cemented himself as a starter in 2023 and has started all 35 regular-season games he’s appeared in since then. McKivitz allowed just two sacks on 36 pressures last season, turning in arguably the best year while earning a PFF blocking grade of 72.2. His solid performances and availability over the years make McKivitz an easy player to invest in for the foreseeable future, and should solidify the Niners’ right side of the line for three more years.

McKivitz was limited in Thursday’s practice, meaning he’s moving in the wrong direction heading into the weekend. The 49ers could be without three starting linemen this week if McKivitz sits. Left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Aaron Banks are both injured as well.

Drafted in 2020, McKivitz spent the first three years of his career as a backup. He took over the starting right tackle job in 2023 after Mike McGlinchey left in free agency. McKivitz was solid in his first year, grading out as Pro Football Focus’s No. 47 tackle. The 49ers inked McKivitz to a two-year deal last offseason and he will now remain with the team through 2025 if he plays out the remainder of his new contract.

It was the clear message sent after the 49ers didn’t draft a tackle this offseason nor sign a big-name free agent to replace the departed Mike McGlinchey. McKivitz signed a two-year contract this offseason and looks likely to start at right tackle for the 49ers in 2023. “The spirit, as we call it, really started to show,” Lynch added. “And Colton is sneaky talented, as well. We like him a lot as a player.”

A 2020 fifth-rounder, McKivitz has just 446 career snaps to his name, though a decent chunk of them came in 2022 at both tackle spots. He provides in-house insurance in the increasingly likely event that RT Mike McGlinchey departs in free agency.

Down already the best tackle football has to offer in Trent Williams, the 49ers now lose his replacement. McKivitz will be sidelined multiple weeks with the injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan described McKivitz’s injury as something similar to Elijah Mitchell’s injury which sidelined him for two months. The 49ers third-string tackle, Jaylon Moore replaced McKivitz against the Rams and will be expected to do so going forward.

McKivitz left Week 4’s Monday Night win over the Rams with the injury and could miss 6-8 weeks; he’s likely an IR candidate. McKivitz was already the replacement for Trent Williams (ankle), leaving the 49ers left tackle duties to 2021 fifth-rounder Jaylon Moore. With a limited offensive line and Jimmy Garoppolo in the pocket, expect more screens from the 49ers offense.

The 25-year-old was an exclusive rights free agent, so this was his only game in town. Hasty caught 23 balls for the Niners’ banged up backfield in 2021, but he remained replacement-level as both a runner and pass catcher. Although he should have an inside track on a 53-man roster spot, Hasty will remain pure depth for 2022, and is not worth keeping around in Dynasty leagues. The Niners have also re-signed DL Kevin Givens, DL Maurice Hurst and OL Colton McKivitz. QB Nate Sudfeld was inked to a reserve/future pact.

Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon, and Elijah Mitchell are San Francisco’s top-three running backs, at least until Jeff Wilson returns. The 49ers also waived/released DL Alex Barrett, WR River Cracraft, DL Darrion Daniels, OL Alfredo Gutierrez, LB Justin Hilliard, FB Josh Hokit, OL Corbin Kaufusi, S Jared Mayden, OL Colton McKivitz, CB Alexander Myres, OL Dakoda Shepley, LB Elijah Sullivan, WR Nsimba Webster, WR Travis Benjamin, OL Jake Brendel, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, CB Dontae Johnson, OL Senio Kelemete, TE Jordan Matthews, TE MyCole Pruitt, QB Nate Sudfeld, and DL Eddie Yarbrough.

The 49ers shipped RB Matt Breida to the Dolphins in order to make the McKivitz selection. The Big 12’s Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year along with Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey in 2019, McKivitz (6'6/306) lined up at left tackle as a senior but does have experience at right tackle and inside at guard stemming from his 47 career starts, third-most in school history, with the Mountaineers. Per Pro Football Focus, McKivitz quietly allowed the seventh-lowest pressure rate among all FBS offensive tackles from 2017 forward. His play strength (25th-percentile bench performance at Indy’s combine) is a concern at the next level, but McKivitz offers a skillset that’s serviceable in a swing tackle or rotational guard role as long as he isn’t consistently mowed over by smaller NFL bodies.