March 6, 2026, 7:30 a.m. PT
Entering the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers need a new starting left guard with both Spencer Burford and Ben Bartch hitting the market when the new league year starts.
At tackle, both Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz under contract to play left and right tackle, respectively, for the 2026 season, but the former is set to become a free agent after the year.
With that, San Francisco has an immediate need at left guard, and they need to start planning for the future. That could start this year, as according to On3’s Pete Nakos, the 49ers met with Oregon offensive tackle Alex Harkey at the NFL combine.
Harkey, played at Jack C. Hays High School in Buda, Texas, before spending two years at Tyler Junior College, one at Colorado, two at Texas State and one final year at Oregon.
The 24-year-old began his collegiate journey as a tight end before switching to offensive tackle, and he eventually earned All-Sun Belt honors for his efforts in the 2024 season, his final at Texas State.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
While Harkey has the size of a guard at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds, his short arm length has many predicting that he’ll kick inside to guard.
Most projections have him going on Day 3 of the draft, so San Francisco should have plenty of opportunities to bring him in and get him working at either tackle or guard this year. However, we’d have to really impress to start at any spot in 2026.
More 49ers: 49ers hire former NFC head coach as top defensive assistant for 2026