The 49ers of San Francisco, which quickly allowed the defensive players during the free agency last month, wrapped them in the last three days.
Their first five draft choices have all come to defense, the first time that the franchise has made it since its famous 1981 draft which landed them Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson.
No one says that the 2025 draft will be as successful as this one, but the 49ers adopted a similar approach to the defensive line as they did with secondary school 44 years ago. Three of their first five choices were large defensive lines, all 23 years or less.
Best value-price pick
Oregon ball carrier Jordan James rushed to 1,267 yards last season, scored 15 affected and was solid as a receiver and pass protector. The fact that he fell to the 49ers in the fifth round was probably the product of his Ho -Hum speed – he ran a 4.55 second 40 – and the fact that the project was rarely deep. Eight of them were taken before James left with the ninth choice in the fifth round.
James was a favorite of the former 49ers who run the Ballon Frank Gore, who works for the team’s scouting department, and the half-back coach Bobby Turner, who regularly had telephone conversations with James with a view to the draft.
It would have been a surprise if the 49ers emerge from the draft without any Oregon player. There were a multitude of talented ducks in the draft and these players aligned well the need for the 49ers. John Lynch and his best assessors also flew to Eugene, Oregon, for the professional day of the school and Lynch dined with head coach Dan Lanning.
“He runs as if he was upset all the time,” Lanning told journalists last season when he asked him questions about James. “We see it every day in practice.”
Most surprising choice
At the end of the third round, a point where the 49ers still needed to add volume to the offensive and defensive lines, the team rather went with one of the smallest players in the draft, the 5-8 1/2 inch Upton Stout corner. The 49ers had lost a departure corner, Charvarius Ward, in a free agency and had to increase the position during the draft. But most thought it would be day 3, and no one expected a nickel specialist. Stout is fiery and fast, and he compares himself well to the old 49ers Nickel Corner K’waun Williams. However, Nickel Cornerback is a difficult position for a recruit of the NFL to master, the 49ers already had a good one, Deommodore Lenoir, on the list, and they had more important needs in some of the more important positions.
Biggest question point
The secondary of Oklahoma State Nick Martin has the speed that the 49ers want in place of the weak secondary, after having executed its 40 in 4.53 seconds, one of the fastest times for a secondary assistant. Pre -projection publications, however, noted that his speed sometimes caused trouble in Martin by making him go beyond games and accumulate missed plasters – 20 of them in 2023. In this way, he looks similar to the old 49ers inside the second Kwon Alexander. Martin will compete with Dee Winters, another rapid secondary, for the weak point, a critical position of need after Dre Greenlaw left for Denver Broncos in free agency.
The 49ers needed help with the secondary and hope that the comparison of Dre Greenlaw will work for Nick Martin from Oklahoma State. (Images Stacy Revere / Getty)
Remaining needs
The 49ers waited for the seventh round to write an offensive line player, which finally did it with Connor Colby of Iowa to choose from 249. He played a right guard for the Hawkeyes.
The team could not keep Jaylon Moore, their swing tackle in recent seasons, during the free agency and there was no clear replacement on the list at the start of the draft. Many observers have also thought that the 49ers should bring in a young center which could possibly take over for Jake Brendel, who will be 33 years old at the start of the coming season.
One more: the 49ers were never going to write a botter this year. But look for them to bring a veteran in the coming weeks, someone who can push Jake Moody throughout spring and summer.
Outlook Post-Radin
Kyle Shanahan admitted this week that he was nervous about the long -term alignment of the team after losing so many starters – including six in defense – last month. The plan was always to fill these places in the draft, but what happens if it did not work as planned? What if the guys that the 49ers had surrounded had left?
Shanahan said he started to feel better on Friday evening after the team has chosen four potential defensive starters. Although their choice of first round, Mykel Williams, a defensive end, the accent was put at the heart of the defense – the defensive platform, the interior secondary, security and the nickel cornerback. Defensive plated Alfred Collins (second round) and CJ West (fourth round) may not start together as recruits, but it is easy to envisage them as a tandem for the future. Add the recruit not drafted in 2024, Evan Anderson, who played substantial minutes last season, and the 49ers have three young defensive plasters who weigh at least 316 pounds (west). It is a substantial – and bulk boost – for the middle of the defensive line.
Even Williams is size and strength to be an occasional defensive tackle on passes, the way Arden Key and Charles Omenihu have already done in San Francisco.
The selection of fifth round marks, it is like a selection of well-being. He played the cornerback in the state of North Dakota before transferring to the state of Kansas. Acronym was the fastest safety with the combine harvester (4.37 seconds) and said he could play four places: free security, solid security, nickel cornerback and defender of ten. He could push Ji’Ayir Brown or Malik Mustapha for shots with the starting unit.
(Top Photo by Mykel Williams: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
