Colby's Second-Season Surge Solidifies 49ers Offensive Line
The short version
- Connor Colby, a seventh-round pick in 2025, was benched after six rookie starts and played 12 offensive snaps over the final nine games last season.
- This season, Colby has allowed two pressures on 64 pass-blocking snaps and holds a higher PFF grade (72.6) than Trent Williams (71.6).
- The 2-0 49ers have not allowed a sack, and Brock Purdy ranks fourth in the NFL in passer rating.
- Colby's starting job is not locked in; rookie Carver Willis competed for the role before the opener.
- The 49ers host the Cardinals in Week 3 at Levi's Stadium, mirroring Colby's first career start a year ago.
A year after being benched as a rookie, left guard Connor Colby has helped San Francisco open the season without allowing a sack.
San Francisco 49ers left guard Connor Colby has been one of the team's early standouts in his second NFL season. After a rookie year that ended with him benched and playing only 12 offensive snaps over the final nine games, Colby has held down a starting job through two weeks.
The context is a 49ers team off to a 2-0 start, with quarterback Brock Purdy ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating. A big reason is an offensive line that has yet to surrender a sack this season.
Colby's rookie struggles were well documented. A seventh-round pick out of Iowa, where he played in a run-heavy scheme, he made his first career start in Week 3 against Arizona at Levi's Stadium and made six starts in all. He allowed 20 pressures, including three sacks, on 281 pass-blocking snaps and posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 33.7.
The numbers look far different this year. Colby has given up two pressures on 64 pass-blocking snaps, and his PFF grade of 72.6 sits slightly ahead of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams at 71.6.
Center Jake Brendel, 34, said Colby probably fell to the seventh round because scouts had limited pass-blocking film to evaluate, noting it is hard to grade a player on roughly 30 pass-blocking snaps per season in college. Brendel added that Colby's hand placement and striking issues could only be fixed with full-speed game reps, which led to what he called painful on-field training once Colby was pressed into action last year after Ben Bartch was injured in Week 2.
Colby was benched after six starts when offensive line coach Chris Foerster told him he was heading back to the sideline. Colby admitted his first reaction was that he had squandered his chance, but said the demotion allowed him to rebuild his fundamentals in practice rather than survive week to week. He also acknowledged at the time that he was starting only because there were no better options.
His spot is still not secure. Colby opened training camp with the first string before being demoted, and rookie fourth-round pick Carver Willis, a college tackle, was in contention to start before the opener against the Rams. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak called Colby steady and consistent but made clear the team wants to see more, saying the challenge is for him to keep it going.
The calendar brings a familiar test. As it did a year ago, Week 3 finds the 49ers hosting the Cardinals at Levi's Stadium, this time with Colby arriving as part of a sack-free line rather than an overmatched rookie.
The Cardinals visit the 49ers on Sunday, September 27 at 4:05 PM EDT at Levi's Stadium, with the game airing on FOX.
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