One player on the San Francisco 49ers who doesn’t get recognized for playing well in 2024 is starting right tackle Colton McKivitz.

He was surprisingly the least of the 49ers’ issues last year. It shows how much he has grown from his 2023 roller coaster season.

McKivitz has proven that he is capable of ascending. He’s going to need to be in 2025 because he is entering the final year of his deal.

This is the year for him to increase his value and cement that the arrow is, in fact, pointing upward for him. It all starts with the work he’s put in this offseason.

McKivitz did something to improve his physical shape that he hadn’t done before – constantly running some of the steepest streets in San Francisco.

Breakout year incoming for Colton McKivitz?

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Colton McKivitz (68) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Definitely not as winded,” McKivitz said. “I feel a lot better in shape. I’ve seen my body change. I’ve seen some growth. Obviously, physically and mentally—that was a big part of it.

“You’re on those streets, and you look up it, and you want to quit right away, or you don’t even want to start it. And then, you got to run it again, and run it backwards, and do broad jumps up and down it.”

It takes serious mental toughness and discipline to endure that. But McKivitz knows that the mental challenges were going to benefit him during the regular season.

“A lot of it was mental, and just seeing how far you’re going to push yourself because running Vallejo and Kearny, nothing’s going to be as hard, physically, on the football field as that, running up those hills on concrete and just doing that.

“So, I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been—and mentally. The streets work.”

Thanks to the hard work of running, McKivitz saw a ton of improvement in his physical conditioning and shape. He even cited that this is the best shape of his life.

August 18, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Colton McKivitz (68) during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

“It obviously helped. I did a lot of bodyweight stuff, bodyweight movements, put on eight pounds of muscle, lean down, lost a percentage in body fat,” McKivitz said. “I did what I needed to do this offseason to prepare for this year. I think I’m seeing some of that work come to fruition right now, and then, obviously, building off that.”

This is what the motivation of a contract year will do to a player. McKivitz is priming himself for a breakout year in 2025.

At the very least, he’s going to see some improvement in his performance, but McKivitz is setting his standards higher than that with the hope of becoming the best version of himself.

“I’m going to be a Pro Bowler this year, I’ve told countless people,” said McKivitz to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco.

“I’m just putting it out there just because that’s going to hold me accountable and get me to where I want to go. If you don’t fight for it, you won’t get it.”