Connor Colby got absolutely thrown into the deep end for the San Francisco 49ers last season. Drafted in the seventh round, he was starting at left guard by Week 2, all because of injuries ahead of him. Talk about a "welcome to the NFL" moment, right? This guy came in with four years of starting experience from Iowa and some seriously impressive athletic traits, but that rookie season quickly turned into a rollercoaster, and not the fun kind.
The Rookie Rollercoaster and Why It Went Off The Rails
Colby's physical testing numbers were wild: his height, 40-yard dash, and broad jump were all "upper echelon." You could see it, too, when he fired out of his stance, looking comfortable working laterally or hitting the second level. He actually did a nice job latching onto linebackers early on. His base was wide, and you knew he was a natural athlete. But then came the other side of the coin. That single percentile arm length started showing up. If someone tried to cross his face or forced him to change direction, it was a different story. The Cardinals figured it out fast, isolating Josh Sweat on him. What happened next was brutal: Colby went from looking like he belonged one week to looking like he shouldn't be on the field the next. Week 3 was a disaster, with eight blown blocks, seven of them in pass protection. From there, teams caught on, and Colby was never the same. He popped up for only 25 snaps in Week 8, then basically disappeared for the rest of the year.The "Second-Year Jump" Everyone's Talking About
Now, Colby's 23, with one accrued season under his belt, standing 6’5” and weighing 309 pounds. He's in the second year of his rookie deal, with a $1.005 million base salary and another installment of his $25,418 signing bonus coming. If the Niners ditch him, they eat the signing bonus as dead money but save his base salary. So, the question is huge: Can he take that elusive second-year jump? Right tackle Colton McKivitz seems to think so, saying, "I think Connor Colby's come a long way" this offseason. McKivitz gets it, too, explaining how a rookie season can be a "whirlwind" where you're "flying by the seat of your pants" with "not a whole lot of technique." He's seen Colby playing "a lot faster right now," looking "rejuvenated" and understanding the scheme more. That's a strong vote of confidence, but McKivitz also kept it real: "obviously, it's OTAs, we're not hitting. We'll obviously see in July." It's a huge summer for Colby. McKivitz might be optimistic, but that Week 3 performance still looms large. Can he finally put it together when the pads come on, or will he remain stuck in that rookie whirlwind? We'll all be watching closely when July hits.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.