The San Francisco 49ers are relying a lot on their 2025 NFL draft class to contribute this season. That hasn’t been the case on the offensive line, but an injury up front may change that.

Veteran Ben Bartch was earmarked as the starting left guard early in camp for the 49ers and after a relatively soft competition he earned the job. Entering camp it looked like 2022 sixth-round pick Nick Zakelj would be the team’s top reserve interior lineman, but seventh-round rookie Connor Colby rapidly moved up the depth chart and overtook the veteran Zakelj.

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Now it appears Colby is the team’s new starter after Bartch sustained a high ankle sprain in the 49ers’ 26-21 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Colby was first up in Week 1 when right guard Dominick Puni went out briefly with an injury. He was first up again Sunday when Bartch went down. The analytics and the eye test both said Colby was equal to the task. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters validated both of those methods of evaluation.

“I’ve loved how he’s been here so far,” Shanahan said. “And I thought he came in that game early, I think it was late first quarter, I’m not sure, but I thought he did a hell of a job, made some plays. He’ll get better the more he plays. But, he was ready for the moment and definitely helped us with that win.”

Pro Football Focus credited Colby with zero pressures allowed in 38 pass-blocking snaps. He also received a strong 73.1 overall pass blocking grade. His run blocking left something to be desired, but a rookie seventh-round pick isn’t going to be perfect out of the gate.

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What’ll be interesting to see moving forward is whether Colby can do enough to secure the starting job even after Bartch is healthy.

While Bartch quickly nailed down the starting job in training camp, he has far from a stranglehold on the position. The 49ers re-signed him this offseason on a one-year deal worth up to $1,337,500 according to Over the Cap. That’s not the kind of contract that’s going to warrant a player automatically keeping a starting job.

On the other hand, the 49ers are looking for cost-controlled rookies who can contribute and help them win. Given some of their offensive line woes, San Francisco would love to have a Colby-Puni duo holding down the two guard spots as they try and open a new window of Super Bowl contention.

Shanahan didn’t have a specific timeline for Bartch, but typically a high ankle sprain means a player will miss at least a month. That should give Colby at least four games to prove he’s the team’s best option at left guard. If he proves that and the 49ers found another starter in the seventh-round it would be a big-time early win for a very important 49ers draft class.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers depth chart: Rookie OL Connor Colby may be new long-term starter