The San Francisco 49ers were in a position to take Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in the 2020 NFL draft. They passed, and head coach Kyle Shanahan says the reason was already in motion.
Coming into the night with the No. 14 pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up with the 49ers one spot from No. 14 to No. 13 to Wirfs, who has gone on to become a five-time Pro Bowler. San Francisco moved down and took defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Shanahan toldNBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco that San Francisco was thinking about the future at the time. Joe Staley was retiring, and the 49ers needed a tackle.
"We didn't take him, which would have been a great pick," Shanahan said. "He's unbelievable."
The decision didn't go over well in the draft room. But
Shanahan knew that the team was already trading for offensive tackle Trent Williams, so the need for a young offensive tackle wasn't as dire.
It's one of the bigger "what-ifs" of the last decade. Wirfs and Williams both play left tackle, so it would have been a redundant move for the 49ers to draft Wirfs and trade for Williams. Even more, the 49ers had drafted right tackle Mike McGlinchey two years earlier, which would have meant Wirfs would sit the bench for at least a few years (McGlinchey left in free agency in 2023).
While Kinlaw didn't work out well for the 49ers, Wirfs remains one of the better tackles in the NFL and Williams continues to dominate for San Francisco even in his seventh season with the team and 16th in the league.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers almost drafted 5-time Pro Bowler in 2020 draft
