49ers eye Texas OT with top-30 visit before 2025 NFL Draft
The San Francisco 49ers might’ve just tipped their hand, and it points straight at Texas. On April 4, reports surfaced that San Francisco will host Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. on a top-30 visit, signaling serious interest in one of the most decorated offensive linemen in this year’s class.
SI's Grant Cohen took to X on Friday to share:
"Report: #49ers to Host Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. on Top-30 Visit."
Banks isn’t just another big body in the trenches, he’s the body. At 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, the Texas native dominated college football. He bagged the 2024 Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and First Team All-SEC honors. The 49ers’ invite puts him squarely on their draft radar as they assess O-line reinforcements heading into 2025.
Naturally, San Francisco isn't the only team watching. Down in H-Town, there’s buzz around Banks possibly landing with the Houston Texans at No. 25 overall. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum’s latest mock even has Houston pulling the trigger.
Banks, born in Humble, Texas, took a wild path to stardom. He initially committed to Oregon before flipping to Texas after Mario Cristobal left. From day one in Austin, he locked down the starting left tackle job and never looked back. A Shaun Alexander Award semifinalist as a freshman and First Team All-Big 12 in 2023, Banks cemented himself as a top-tier blindside protector.
With the 49ers kicking the tires and the Texans lurking, Kelvin Banks Jr. is heating up draft boards.
Can the 49ers flip their first-round fortune in 2025?
The 49ers have been swinging in the first round, but haven’t exactly been slugging. Since the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era began, San Francisco’s Round 1 picks include names like Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster, Mike McGlinchey, Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw, Brandon Aiyuk, Trey Lance, and Ricky Pearsall.
Out of those eight, only Bosa and Aiyuk have signed second contracts with the team, a 25% hit rate.
Per Pro Football Focus, the 49ers rank fourth-worst in first-round drafting since 2020, largely due to Kinlaw’s 47.1 PFF grade. That list includes teams like the Titans (39.9) and Raiders (47.3), but the 49ers' draft whiffs have come at a heavy cost. Trading three first-rounders to land Trey Lance, who started fewer than 10 games, still stings.
But 2025 offers a clean slate. With the 11th-overall pick, San Francisco might take a shot at a high-upside EDGE or defensive tackle to reset their defensive front. After watching Kinlaw head to New York and Lance fall flat, they need a game-changer. If they get this right, the narrative flips, and that draft average finally gets a boost.