It has been quite the ride for 49ers rookie offensive lineman Connor Colby.

After being selected in the seventh round of the 2025 draft, Colby made his first professional start less than a month into his first NFL campaign, slotting in at left guard for injured starter Ben Bartch.

Coach Kyle Shanahan was impressed with Colby’s performance in the 49ers’ 16-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, lauding the rookie’s ability to power through an injury sustained in practice last week and deliver a gritty effort in San Francisco’s thrilling victory.

“I thought the fact that Connor was able to battle and do some of the stuff that he did, especially with the injury that he had on Thursday just had a ton of respect for him getting through that game,” Shanahan told reporters on a Monday conference call. “It wasn’t perfect. There was definitely protection, there was a few that he missed. But overall, I thought he played good enough for us to win and just earned a lot of respect with the guys actually just being able to play with what happened to him earlier in the week.”

While Shanahan praised the good, he also noted the issues San Francisco’s offensive line had in a couple of key moments, notably the safety that came as a result of a holding penalty while the 49ers were backed up in their own end zone.

“I thought that there was definitely a number of plays in the game that we needed to hold up longer,” Shanahan said of his offensive line. “The backed up one especially, it happened too fast and No. 1 wasn’t open and when that happens that fast that is an issue. There were times that we did protect well in the game, but it definitely came up a few too many times, especially in some tough spots. They had some challenges there on the inside, but ones that I think we can do better with.”

Pro Football Focus charged Colby with a team-high five pressures in the 49ers’ win over the Cardinals, but his 64.3 run-blocking grade certainly was encouraging in his first NFL start.

Colby frequently had to square off with six-time Pro Bowl selection and 18-year NFL veteran Calais Campbell, who gave the rookie a crash course in the kind of talent he’ll have to face regularly at football’s highest level.

There is plenty for Colby to build on when he turns to the tape and studies his 65 snaps from Sunday’s win, but earning the respect of his veteran teammates is a valuable token to emerge with after a hard-fought game in his first start.

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