Aside from quarterback Brock Purdy, and to a far lesser extent, wide receiver Jauan Jennings, the San Francisco 49ers rarely hit on seventh-round picks in the NFL Draft.
In fairness, hardly any team achieves much success in the draft's final round.
So, when thinking about one of the Niners' three seventh-round picks from the 2025 draft, Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby, one shouldn't draw any conclusions about yet another hidden gem suddenly pummeling his way toward relevancy.
About the only thing special about the Colby selection at No. 249 overall is that star tight end George Kittle fully endorsed the move, which netted another former Hawkeye to pair with the perennial Pro Bowler.
After the draft, general manager John Lynch praised Colby, citing Iowa's zone-style rushing scheme, which isn't unlike what San Francisco does under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
But, after Lynch admitted there were other offensive linemen they liked who ultimately ended up getting drafted prior to the 49ers making a move, it sure seems as if the 6-foot-5, 309-pound lineman was just a proverbial "blind tossing of a dart" in Round 7 to beef up the O-line depth, especially after losing Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore in free agency the previous March.
There probably isn't more to it than that.
Connor Colby has a long road to make 49ers' 53-man roster
If there's one thing going for Colby, it's experience. The four-year starter played in 50 games, and a recent Niners draft trend has been to select collegiate prospects who've spent plenty of time on the field.
But that's about it. Colby isn't much of a pass-protecting lineman, and he's limited almost exclusively to interior play at guard. Sure, San Francisco has an extra spot there up for grabs after losing Banks. But, with others like Ben Bartch, Spencer Burford, Matt Hennessy, Drake Nugent and even Nick Zakelj, among others fully in the mix, Colby's chances of hanging around into the regular season on the 53-man roster are slim at best.
As much as it might pain Kittle, the likeliest of outcomes for the Iowa rookie is failing to make the regular-season cut, potentially landing on the practice squad shortly thereafter if the 49ers feel if he's worth developing.
It wouldn't be the worst of outcomes, though. Starting right tackle Colton McKivitz, a former day-three pick himself, bounced down to the B-squad early in his career before eventually landing a starting gig after some much-needed development.
Maybe Colby is on the same trajectory.
It just might take a while, though.
