49ERS Inside scoop: Rookie fits in
McKivitz’s move from tackle to guard off to promising start
Colton McKivitz has had to carry shoulder pads, pick up sandwiches and order pizzas as part of his duties as the lone rookie offensive lineman on the 49ers’ roster.
Last month, the fifthround pick was given his most daunting task when his position mates explained his latest assignment: Decorate their spacious meeting room extravagantly for Halloween.
“I haven’t been tied to a fieldgoal post,” McKivitz said, laughing. “So I’ll take decorating all day long.”
Indeed, the right guard has had a mild firstyear initiation from his teammates that pales in comparison to what his coaches have asked him to do: Play a foreign position in a complex offense after an abbreviated offseason that didn’t include OTA practices.
How McKivitz handles that challenge makes him one of the young players to closely watch as the 49ers (46) finish a season that’s unlikely to end in the playoffs. As attention figures to turn increasingly to 2021, McKivitz’s performance in the final six regularseason games will help determine how much the 49ers will need to invest in a problem area — their interior offensive line — in the offseason.
McKivitz, who had played only offensive tackle since high school, has been eased into action to see if
he could be an answer. He’s played his first meaningful offensive snaps in the past two games when he has rotated at right guard with Tom Compton, 31, a ninthyear veteran who has started the past two contests.
McKivitz has played 44 snaps in losses to the Packers and Saints, 40 fewer than Compton.
“We’ll see how this year keeps going with both of them,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “They’ve been competing really well and we’ll see if one gets ahead of the other. But I’ve been happy with their progress.”
Given his youth and their draftpick investment, the 49ers are hoping McKivitz emerges as the winner.
They drafted McKivitz, 6foot6 and 301 pounds, after a senior season at West Virginia in which he was named the Big 12’s CoOffensive Lineman of the Year and a thirdteam Associated Press AllAmerican as a left tackle.
“He fits exactly what we’re looking for demeanorwise and on the offensive line.” Ethan Waugh, 49ers director of college scouting, on Colton McKivitz
The 49ers were attracted to his grit — NFL.com’s scouting profile on McKivitz labeled him a “bonafide dirt dog with a chippy demeanor” — and the intangibles of a player who made 49 straight starts in college.
McKivitz was a team captain, a member of the school’s academic honor roll and was a threetime winner of the “Iron Mountaineer” award for his excellence and dedication in the weight room.
The 49ers gave McKivitz a “gold helmet” designation, given to only a handful of their draft prospects each year.
“The gold helmet is essentially, ‘This is the ideal 49ers person and player that we want to bring in,’ ” director of college scouting Ethan Waugh said. “He fits exactly what we’re looking for demeanorwise and on the offensive line.”
McKivitz is unusual among NFL rookies, who are understandably eager to prove themselves, in that he’s refreshingly candid about his firstyear growing pains.
For example, he was largely pleased with his 23snap performance against the Saints, but he didn’t hesitate to volunteer this: He missed a block on one of the game’s biggest plays, a 4thand1 attempt in which running back Jerick McKinnon was dropped for a 2yard loss in the second quarter.
And McKivitz didn’t hide what happened when asked about his welcometotheNFL moment — he was bulldozed by rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw in training camp — or when queried about his first offensive snap in the NFL, which came near the end of a blowout win over the Jets in Week 2.
“I think it was inside zone left and I kind of let my guy get off late and he made the tackle,” McKivitz said. “And we probably would have had a 30yard gain. I got a little earful on the sideline. But it still felt good to get out there and be playing in the NFL.”
McKivitz’s willingness to share his lows suggests he’s confident those moments don’t define him.
His more memorable moments have inspired some of that belief. In his first extended action, against the Packers, he successfully pulled off a difficult run block against Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
“I think that was kind of the moment where it was, ‘OK this is just football,’ ” McKivitz said. “And it’s back to the basics and just having fun out there. That was one play that just solidified that, ‘Hey, you’re meant to be here. And this is what you can do.’ ”
McKivitz is excited about the chance to play after logging just 14 snaps in the first eight games. And, off the field, things also are looking up.
McKivitz noted the NFL’s recently mandated intensive COVID19 protocols mean the offensive linemen won’t be using their meeting room as all such interactions will be done virtually for the rest of the season.
The result: McKivitz didn’t have to shop for Thanksgiving decor and Christmas isn’t a concern.
“That,” McKivitz said, “will save me some money.”