At this point, Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu might as well be on the San Francisco 49ers’ roster already.

This time, it’s NFL.com’s Mike Band putting San Francisco in the Utah offensive tackle’s corner with their first-round pick. If you’ve been following along with the mock draft season — and at this point it really is the new March Madness — you already know the drill. Lomu is a first-round talent with legitimate pass-blocking chops and run blocking that still needs some cooking. Here’s what Band says about the pick:

Offensive line stands out as one of San Francisco’s clearest needs after the free agency frenzy, especially with no clear long-term succession plan in place behind Trent Williams, who turns 38 in July and is currently in something of a contact standoff. Lomu would give Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch a high-upside tackle to develop behind the All-Pro left tackle while also reinforcing a front that looks thinner than it has in years.

Look, I don’t hate Lomu as a prospect. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the pass protection is real, and that matters. But here’s the wrinkle — this is Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The run game isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the whole foundation. Outside zone, wide zone, the stuff that makes the offense hum — it all runs through the offensive line. And if Lomu’s run blocking is still a work in progress, you’re essentially drafting a first-round tackle who isn’t ready to do one of the most important jobs a tackle has in this specific system. That’s not nothing.

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And look, we’ve been over the scouting report before, but it’s worth repeating in this context: NFL.com’s own profile notes he’s still learning to find lateral landmarks in the run game and can lose his positioning fitting run blocks. In a Kyle Shanahan outside zone system where that precision isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the whole point — “still learning” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a first-round pick.

Maybe it gets developed. Maybe Shanahan works his magic. But “high upside to develop” is a phrase that sounds better in April than it does in October when the run game is sputtering.

And then there’s the Trent Williams situation. Williams turns 38 in July and is currently in a contract standoff with the team. So yes, planning for life after Trent is not crazy — it’s actually smart. But if Williams is still negotiating, does drafting his replacement in the first round make those talks easier? I’ll let you sit with that one.

And I’ll be honest — I’ve been beating the succession plan drum for a while now, but I think I’m starting to think differently about it. Teams don’t typically burn a first-round pick on a non-quarterback to sit behind someone, even an all-time great like Trent Williams. If Lomu is the pick, he’s not being groomed as a backup plan — he’s expected to contribute, and probably sooner than people think. So maybe the framing shouldn’t be about replacing Trent. Maybe the question is whether Lomu is ready to be a starter in his own right, in this offense, right now. Based on that scouting report, that’s a harder sell. Or maybe he competes for the right side? Sounds a bit strange after Colton McKivitz got extended, but sure.

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To be fair, Lomu keeps popping up in these mocks for a reason. He’s not a reach; if he’s still there when the 49ers pick, I’d be genuinely surprised. But ‘logical need’ and ‘right pick’ don’t always point at the same guy, and Lomu clearly isn’t a one-draft fluke.

And let’s not forget what a first-round tackle doesn’t fix: the edge rusher situation. The defensive front has the bones to be absolutely filthy, but they still need that piece off the edge to push it over the top. Maybe Lomu is the pick, and we all shrug and move on. But I’m not ready to stop raising an eyebrow every time I see it. Or the 49ers get Myles Garrett and then we don’t have to worry about this.

What do you think? You know, a week later. Anything new to add on this Lomu pick, or are the 49ers absolutely leaving something better on the board?