2 weeks Ago
The dream of an all-trench draft remains intact. The San Francisco 49ers used their first pick on Thursday on a strong-armed defensive lineman , and general manager John Lynch said the team wasn’t finished restocking the defensive line. Do they go for a defensive tackle in Round 2 or is that the best spot to snag an offensive tackle? Linebacker is also a big need and you can never discount Kyle Shanahan’s desire to add an offensive skill player.
What are their options with their next three picks Friday? These are the best fits still available. Round 2 DT Darius Alexander, Toledo: At 6-foot-4 and with 34-inch arms, Alexander projects to a big-bodied three-technique in the NFL. His level of competition at Toledo is a concern, though he held up well against bigger-school blockers at the Senior Bowl.
DT Alfred Collins, Texas: He’s similar to Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams, who went in the first round to the Detroit Lions, in terms of size and skill level and his 85-inch wingspan is the biggest of any interior defensive lineman expected to be taken on days 1 or 2. Collins would pair well with a smaller, penetrating defensive tackle. DT T.
J. Sanders, South Carolina: Sanders is one of a handful of prospects who might be light for the position but who are a handful for guards and centers because they get off the ball so quickly. OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota: At nearly 6-6, he has the classic length for an offensive tackle and is one of the draft’s most physical blockers.
But at 339 pounds, he might not move his feet in pass protection as well as the team would like. OT Anthony Belton, N.C.
State: None of the tackles in this year’s draft pack a punch like Belton, who also played in a zone-blocking offense similar to the 49ers’. Will he last until Round 3? Belton had official visits with 18 teams, including the 49ers. N.
C. State LT Anthony Belton was among the #49ers ’ draft visitors this month. Here he is with a rare double pancake (full stack).
The guy packs a wallop...
. https://t.co/qZ5xez9700 pic.
twitter.com/uGECRWOAIg — Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) April 17, 2025 C Jared Wilson, Georgia: The 49ers like centers who can move. That’s Wilson, who ran a 4.
84-second 40-yard dash at the combine. LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA: If the 49ers are seeking a productive linebacker to replace Dre Greenlaw, it would be hard to look past Schwesinger, who’s quick and who had 136 tackles for the Bruins last season. TE Mason Taylor, LSU: The son of former Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Mason played at the same Fort Lauderdale high school Nick Bosa did.
Scouts see him as a high-effort player with upside. He had 55 catches and 546 receiving yards last season. WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State: Noel ran a 4.
39-second 40 at the combine and is the type of smooth runner and playmaker Shanahan has liked in the past. It doesn’t hurt that he caught passes from Brock Purdy when Noel was a freshman. Round 3 OL Charles Grant, William & Mary: Grant didn’t face many (any?) top-tier edge rushers in college.
But his size and movement skills have to be intriguing for teams, especially those that use zone-blocking concepts. Grant’s upside is as intriguing as anyone’s in this year’s draft. G Marcus Mbow, Purdue: Mbow made starts at right guard and right tackle for the Boilermakers.
He projects best as a guard in the NFL and would be a candidate to start at left guard — opposite 2023 third-round pick Dominick Puni — for the 49ers. Advertisement LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon: Bassa is a former safety, something the 49ers value in their linebackers because it suggests good coverage skills. It’s noteworthy that general manager John Lynch chatted up Bassa when Lynch and other team officials visited Oregon’s pro day.
LB Chris “Pooh” Paul. Jr., Ole Miss: Paul started getting Greenlaw comparisons early on at the University of Arkansas, which is where Greenlaw played.
He’s small for the position but shows Greenlaw-like pugnacity and makes plays sideline to sideline. DT Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee: The Volunteers used Norman-Lott as a pass-rush specialist and he delivered. His 18.
9 percent pass-rush win rate was the highest of an interior lineman in the country with at least 100 pass-rush snaps. DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State: Farmer was a two-gapping lineman for the Seminoles but still managed four sacks and eight tackles for loss last season. That suggests the power and quickness Kocurek covets for his interior linemen.
DE Bradyn Swinson, LSU: A long-limbed edge rusher, Swinson does a good job of opening up rush lanes with his hands and then striding into the backfield. He finished last season with 8 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles. TE Harold Fannin Jr.
, Bowling Green: Fannin, who took an official visit to Santa Clara, set single-season records for tight ends last season with 117 catches and 1,555 yards. Kyle Shanahan might be eying him the way he once did Jordan Reed, who had 952 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns for Washington in 2015. WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford: The 49ers got a good look at Ayomanor at his pro day and he also stopped by Santa Clara on a local visit.
He’s got a nice combination of size and speed and shows the toughness Shanahan wants in a wide receiver. WR Kyle Williams, Washington State: Williams has excellent speed, having run his 40 in 4.4 seconds.
What really stands out is his ability to quickly put pressure on defensive backs and then separate from them. It’s a trait that Shanahan holds dear. Round 4 WR Savion Williams, TCU: If the 49ers want to replace Deebo Samuel, they could tap Williams.
He’s not a traditional receiver but is strong with the ball in his hands and would be an asset on screens and slants. He scored six rushing touchdowns last season. Advertisement DE Elijah Roberts, SMU: Roberts has long, powerful arms that he uses to collapse the pocket.
He might not ever reach double-digit sacks in the NFL, but he’d be a dependable part of the D-line rotation and a stout run defender. DE David Walker, Central Arkansas: Walker, who stands just under 6-1, lacks length but oozes production. He had 10 1/2 sacks and 23 tackles for loss last year and was voted the FCS defensive player of the year.
He visited the 49ers in the run-up to the draft. DT Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech: Peebles is small for the position but was reliably disruptive for the Hokies. His 17.
8 percent pass-rush win rate was just below Norman-Lott’s. DT CJ West, Indiana: West is a slippery and powerful interior defender who stood up well against top competition last. He won’t be a sack master in the NFL, but he compares well to former 49ers sixth-round pick D.
J. Jones. DT Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon: Caldwell is another prospect with shades of D.
J. Jones. He’s stout enough — 332 pounds — to be an asset in run defense and quick enough to remain on the field in passing situations.
CB Quincy Riley, Louisville: An outside cornerback, Riley stands out for his speed and ability to locate the football. He had 19 pass breakups and five interceptions over the past two seasons. RB Jordan James, Oregon: The 49ers spent a lot of time with James before the draft.
He ran for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns last year and also was a natural pass catcher out of the backfield with 26 catches and 209 yards. RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee: Sampson hits creases as sharply as any runner in the draft and was particularly good at running between the tackles. That includes goal-line carries.
He scored 22 rushing touchdowns last year for the Volunteers. RB Bayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech: Tuten excelled in Virginia Tech’s zone-running offense last season, averaging 6.3 yards a carry and scoring 15 rushing touchdowns.
He ran a 4.32-second 40 at the combine, one hundredth of a second faster than 49ers’ fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo did last year. Advertisement C Jonah Monheim, USC: He played all over the line at USC before settling in at center last season.
The 49ers have not drafted a center since Shanahan and Lynch took over in 2017. G Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech: Rogers took most of his college snaps at left and right tackle but projects as a guard in the NFL. He has light feet and appears to be a good fit for San Francisco’s zone-based rushing attack.
Round 5 RB Jaydon Blue, Texas: Blue is another burner, running his 40 in 4.38 seconds. He doesn’t rate as highly as some other tailbacks on this board because of his size, 5-9 and 195 pounds.
RB Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech: Brooks is super steady, mature and played in a zone rushing scheme. The only thing not to like about him is his lack of high-end speed. He seems like a prospect a long-time running backs coach like Bobby Turner would like.
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: Gabriel, who threw 30 touchdowns against six interceptions last year, has a lot of Brock Purdy-like qualities. We don’t expect him to last until the end of the seventh round like Purdy did. CB Upton Stout, Western Kentucky: Stout, who visited the 49ers, stands just 5-8.
He’s a feisty and fearless tackler and projects as a nickel cornerback in the 49ers’ system. CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas: Bryant lacks size, but like Stout is a good and physical tackler. He had four interceptions in each of the last two seasons and quarterbacks had a weak 62.
7 passer rating when targeting him in 2024. CB Bilhal Kone, Western Michigan: Kone is the tallest (6-1) and fastest (4.43 40) of the cornerbacks the 49ers brought in for a visit.
His ball skills, however, aren’t as impressive as the others. He had just two interceptions in three college seasons. Round 6 WR Nick Nash, San Jose State: The 49ers put the 2024 triple crown winner — Nash led the nation in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — through a workout at their local pro day.
Nash is no burner, but the former quarterback knows how to get open and is still learning his new position. WR Ricky White, UNLV: White’s slow 40 time will scare off some teams. However, he was a big-play receiver at UNLV and would bring immediate special teams ability to an NFL team.
He single-handedly blocked four punts last season, more than any team had in 2024. S Craig Woodson, Cal: Woodson might be one of the most underrated players in the draft. He has good size, good speed, is reliable and had more than 150 tackles over the past two seasons.
Advertisement TE Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech: Conyers has more upside than any Day 3 tight end. He’s a very good athlete — 4.74-second 40, 35 1/2-inch vertical jump — who also weighs 260 pounds.
That heft, plus an 81-inch wingspan, has the makings of a good blocker. TE Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech: He might be the opposite of Conyers in that teams know exactly what they’re getting — a tenacious blocker who isn’t a huge receiving threat. He had 16 catches and no touchdowns last year for Georgia Tech.
LB Kain Medrano, UCLA: Medrano was the fastest linebacker at the scouting combine, making him intriguing both as a 49ers defender and on special teams. Medrano played weakside linebacker for the Bruins, a position that’s up for grabs in San Francisco. WR Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss: Watkins was a big-play threat for Ole Miss last season with 49 catches for 906 yards.
He was the only receiver in the FBS with five plays of 60 yards or more. WR Chimere Dike, Florida: Dike ran a 4.34-second 40 at the combine and excelled at the kind of crossing routes that are the foundation of Shanahan’s passing attack.
Round 7 LB Teddye Buchanan, Cal: A high school quarterback, Buchanan led the Bears with 114 tackles and 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Though he didn’t take part in the 49ers’ local pro day practice, he attended the event and spent time chatting with Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis on the sideline. OT Esa Pole, Washington State: The 6-5, 323-pound Pole is relatively new to the sport of football.
But he allowed no sacks at left tackle last season and seems like a project well worth taking on. C Thomas Perry, Middlebury: No, Perry’s college opponents — including Bowdoin, Bates and Trinity — weren’t all that imposing. But Perry dominated as you would expect and he didn’t look out of place at the East-West Shrine game against bigger-school defenders.
A guard at Middlebury, he projects as a center in the NFL. TE Ben Yurosek, Georgia: Yurosek was a receiving tight end at Stanford before becoming more of a blocking tight end at Georgia. Which is to say, he’s got the type of well-rounded background the 49ers want at the position.
(Top photo of Darius Alexander: Stacy Revere / Getty Images).
