SAN FRANCISCO – The throne isn’t just protected. It’s about to be inherited by a freak.

In NFL.com’s latest mock draft, 49ers GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t just address the offensive line — they dropped the hammer on the entire NFC West and announced the next era of 49ers football at the same time. With their first-round pick, San Francisco selects Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling, a 6’7″, 315-pound monster who checks every single box Shanahan has been quietly drooling over for the last two off-seasons.

And yes… the succession plan for Trent Williams just became official.

Freeling isn’t some project. He’s a finished product in a 22-year-old body. At 6’7″ with 35-inch arms and the kind of athleticism that makes defensive coordinators wake up in cold sweats, this kid moves like a tight end but anchors like a damn telephone pole. Georgia didn’t play him every snap early — just 16 starts — but every single rep he took looked like a man playing against boys. He’s long, he’s violent, and when he locks onto a defender, the rep is basically over.

Shanahan knows exactly what he’s doing.

Trent Williams, the best left tackle of his generation, isn’t walking through that door forever. At 37, he’s still a Hall of Famer walking around in shoulder pads, but Father Time doesn’t lose to even the greatest. Shanahan isn’t waiting until the throne is empty. He’s putting the crown on Freeling’s head while Trent is still wearing it — and that’s the genius part.

This isn’t a “reach.” This is vision.

Freeling gets a full year (maybe two) sitting next to Williams, soaking up every trick, every hand placement, every film study session. Imagine learning how to dominate the edge from the guy who’s been dominating it for 15 years. Imagine having Trent Williams in your ear every single day saying, “This is how you finish.” That’s not a developmental pick. That’s a cheat code.

And let’s talk about the measurables that have scouts calling him a “unicorn”:

6’7″, 315 lbs of pure power

Rare length that lets him swallow edge rushers whole

Explosive first step that turns run-block reps into pancakes

The kind of athletic testing that makes you rewind the tape three times

Yes, his run blocking was inconsistent at times in Athens. So what? That’s fixable. That’s what Mike McGlinchey-to-Jake Brendel-to-Aaron Banks-level coaching in San Francisco does. Put Freeling in the same building with Shanahan, Chris Foerster, and Trent Williams for 12 months and watch that inconsistency turn into weekly violence.

The best part? This isn’t another Trey Lance situation. Lance was a quarterback — the hardest position to develop. Freeling is a left tackle. The floor is sky-high because the position is about traits and technique, and this kid already has both in spades. He doesn’t need to learn how to read defenses. He needs to learn how to destroy them. And nobody teaches destruction better than Shanahan.

Picture this 2026-2027 season:

Trent Williams still locking down the left side like the king he is. Monroe Freeling rotating in, getting starter reps, learning the NFL game at game speed. Then 2027 rolls around and the handoff happens — seamless, brutal, unstoppable.

The 49ers offensive line doesn’t take a step back. It levels up.

This is what championship organizations do. They don’t wait for the window to crack. They reinforce the foundation while the window is wide open. They don’t panic when their future Hall of Famer turns 37. They draft the next one at 22 and let the two monsters share the same locker room for a year.

Kyle Shanahan just told the entire league: “We’re not rebuilding anything. We’re reloading with the next generation of violence.”

Monroe Freeling isn’t coming to San Francisco to sit on the bench. He’s coming to sit at the right hand of the king… and then take the throne.

The hammer has been dropped. The heir has been found. The 49ers’ offensive line dynasty? It’s just getting started.

Welcome to the family, Monroe. Class is in session… and Professor Williams doesn’t do participation trophies.