Getty John Lynch, 49ers general manager
It’s not much fun, when examining the various 49ers trade rumors and proposals put out there ahead of the coming NFL deadline to look at the team’s meat-and-potatoes positions. Receivers and pass rushers are much more fun to talk about. But if there is a weak link on this 49ers bunch, it probably is the offensive line, which has been better than expected.
Still, it could use depth and versatility. With that in mind, both The Athletic and Pro Football Focus suggest 49ers trades for the same player: Vikings guard Ezra Cleveland, a second-round pick from 2020 who has underwhelmed in his time in Minnesota and is a pending free agent.
According to PFF’s projection, the 49ers could land Cleveland for a 2025 fourth-round pick, with a sixth-rounder coming back from the Vikings. That, and the $1.66 million incoming contract means bringing in Cleveland could come at a scant price.
Cleveland could give the 49ers needed depth along the offensive line. Jaylon Moore, a third-year fifth-rounder from Western Michigan, is the primary backup with tackle Trent Williams injured for Week 7. The Vikes probably won’t keep Cleveland, so could do with some sort of return for him.
“Minnesota gave a decent amount of money to free agent guard Dalton Risner a few weeks into the season and he can now step into a starting role at left guard,” PFF noted. “Cleveland was a tackle in college and has primarily played left guard with the Vikings, but he logged 621 snaps starting at right guard as a rookie.”
Ezra Cleveland 49ers Trade Rumor Dubbed ‘Realistic’
What’s more, 49ers GM John Lynch was, apparently, eyeing Cleveland back when he was coming out of college and may have kept tabs on him since. The Athletic calls 49ers trade rumors around Cleveland “realistic,” should the team determine that they need more than Moore in reserve, especially at guard.
“The 49ers seemed to like Cleveland heading into the 2020 draft,” Athletic beat reporter Matt Barrows wrote. “They had a pre-draft visit with him that spring, albeit a ‘video visit’ because in-person meetings were wiped out by COVID-19. It’s easy to understand the allure: Cleveland has length — 6 foot 6 with 33 3/8-inch arms — and was light on his feet for a 311-pounder. He ran his 40-yard dash at the combine in 4.93 seconds, which is excellent for an offensive lineman and suits San Francisco’s zone-blocking scheme.”
Barrows further points out that Cleveland has come from the 49ers’ NFL line-coaching tree, with current Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper having worked under 49ers line coach Chris Foerster six years ago in Miami.
49ers Offensive Line Has Holes
The big issue with any 49ers trade rumor in the days coming into the NFL deadline is plausibility. The 49ers have enough cap space to absorb just about anyone who will hit the market, and with the Super Bowl in their sights, they could very well use it. But they won’t make a trade just for the sake of making a trade.
Pass rushers and receivers would be fun additions, but they’re not necessarily areas of need. Offensive line is a different story.
On PFF’s grading scale, Williams posted an excellent 81.9 grade, but the 49ers are getting by with a chicken-wire-and-bubble-gum approach elsewhere. Right tackle Colton McKivitz has been cited as a potential problem, but he has been serviceable, and has a grade of 59.2, 46th out of 73 tackles in the NFL. Guards Spencer Buford and Aaron banks are way down on the scale—Buford (48.2) ranks 67th of 81 guards, and Banks (45.0) ranks 73rd.
That’s where Cleveland comes in.
“Cleveland has run-blocking grades of 71.9 or better in three straight seasons, including 2023, and his pass-block grade has taken a leap thus far in 2023,” PFF wrote. “He sports a 72.3 pass-blocking grade and just a 2.6% pressure rate allowed.”
Not the exciting 49ers trade-rumor choice. But maybe the smart one.