Last year’s draft class returned instant results, can the 49ers duplicate last year’s success?
Following a draft class headlined by Dominick Puni, Malik Mustapha, Renardo Green, Ricky Pearsall, and Isaac Guerendo, the San Francisco 49ers are looking for similar success in resetting the roster age and cap situation.
To be fair, this should be the goal for every team, including the 49ers, each year, but with the mass exodus of starters and the age of their stars, it’s a must for the 49ers to continue to hit on their draft classes.
Finding four starters in any draft class is excellent. Time will tell what each player will turn into, but optimism is high. The 2025 draft class will likely have players asked to step in immediately. Given the depth of the roster in past years, that hasn’t been necessary. However, 2025 will see the 49ers shift their philosophy with their first-year players.
What is the definition of “acing” the draft? It’s hard to argue with last year’s class as an “ace.” Even if the 49ers land two or three starters and quality depth, is that considered a victory? I’d say so, but a repeat of last season’s success might be too much to ask.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com believes the 49ers need to ace their draft.
Following a painful season that fell well short of expectations — leading to new coordinators on offense, defense and special teams — the 49ers’ offseason has been a trying extension of the misery. The team traded Deebo Samuel and watched as several free agents, including Talanoa Hufanga, Charvarius Ward and Dre Greenlaw, walked in free agency. Both lines of scrimmage and the secondary were hit hard, but almost no position group was spared from some kind of attrition.
On top of that, the Niners’ additions have been minimal while they discuss a massive extension for QB Brock Purdy a year before they truly have to. Getting that done in the short term likely will help the team down the road, but it has been frustrating to see an organization that typically has been aggressive in free agency be so passive while it tries to move the Purdy negotiations over the goal line.
The good news is that they own 11 selections (tied for the most for any team), including a pair of picks in Rounds 3, 4, and 5. Seven of their picks come on Day 3 of the draft, but that’s actually where the 49ers have done some of their best work under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, reeling in the likes of Purdy, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, Deommodore Lenoir, Hufanga, and Greenlaw.
The oddity is that even with obvious hits such as Nick Bosa, the 49ers’ Round 1 returns have been far less enticing in the Lynch-Shanahan era. The No. 11 overall pick will be a key one, and the 49ers almost have to address either line of scrimmage. They have short- and long-term needs at offensive tackle and were gutted on the defensive line this offseason. San Francisco landed Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis with the 11th pick back in 2007. The Niners would love to find a similarly impactful prospect in that slot this time around.
Edholm raises the point about Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk being the only first-round hits during the Shanahan/Lynch era and the need for an impact player this year at pick 11. The 49ers have several openings on their defense. Defensive line and linebacker are the first positions to jump out, but the offensive line can’t be ignored as a choice at pick 11.
The 49ers don’t need the exact results of last year’s draft, just something similar with a high-end first-round impact player.