Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Thursday, April 3rd, 2025
Kawakami: What could hold 49ers together through 2025 reset? Trusting Shanahan and Purdy (paywall)
“So the 49ers aren’t really aiming for the Super Bowl this season. Even with all their remaining stars, that’s unrealistic. They might draft perfectly, pull out of a bunch of close finishes, and remain healthy enough to steal 10 or 11 wins. But they absolutely don’t match up with the Eagles, Lions, or Commanders right now. It’s just reality. And Shanahan, to his credit, doesn’t deal in unreality.
“I don’t think it’s about lowering expectations,” Shanahan said. “It’s kind of the position your team’s in. We lost the Super Bowl in overtime before last year. That’s all anyone can think about. … That’s kinda how it was for us last year. We took our shot. This year we had a bad year. We didn’t do good. We didn’t make the playoffs. So all we’re talking about is how to get back to playing good football. And we know we lost a lot of good players. But … what I’m thinking about is how good we can get in the draft. How many people we can add?”
If you think that sounds like a new two- or three-year plan, similar to Lynch and Shanahan’s methodical build-up to their first Super Bowl trip after the 2019 season, well, I agree.”
Why Shanahan ‘excited’ to work with new 49ers backup QB Jones
“I loved how he played the position, especially in college,” Shanahan said of Jones. “He got the ball to the right spots, didn’t take sacks, would hang in there and get hit and distribute the ball to his playmakers.
“I’ve seen him do it in the NFL at a high level. And we’re excited to get him working in our offense.”
2025 NFL mock draft: What coaches say about Ward, Sanders, Carter, Hunter and more (paywall)
“Charvarius Ward was one of the many big losses the 49ers had this offseason. The feeling here is that general manager John Lynch will opt for Barron over Michigan’s Will Johnson. The 5-11, 194-pound Barron is the smaller DB, but he’s faster. He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top DB, making five interceptions and 67 tackles.
Lynch played with one of the NFL’s great nickel backs, Ronde Barber, in Tampa. It’s a stretch to say Barron is going to reach those heights, but he’s instinctive, savvy and versatile. Texas coaches felt strongly that he could excel as a nickel, corner or safety because he’s so smart and has such great agility and quickness. They think if he came out last year, he probably would’ve been a mid-round pick. Instead, he’s going in the middle of the first round.
“He’s got terrific ball skills and feel. I think his football IQ is really high,” an SEC offensive coordinator said. “His ability to adjust and trigger is elite. His footwork is really clean. Excellent open-field tackler. I thought this guy was the best player on that team…….
“[Derrick Harmon] was the best interior pass rusher we faced this year,” a Big Ten O-line coach said. “He has great length and athleticism. We schemed a lot of things to make sure he didn’t get one-on-ones against us. He wasn’t as stout in the run game as (Mason) Graham.”
“I thought he was unbelievable,” a Big Ten running backs coach said. “He’s just as disruptive as Mason Graham when we played them, and he’s even bigger. Very impressed by him.”
“Liked him a lot,” a Big Ten O-line coach said, “but I do think he picks and chooses when he wants to play hard or not. He is really good, though. He’s very explosive and quick and plays with power and strength and can shed and get skinny.”
“Field Yates’ latest mock draft for ESPN aligns with expectations for the San Francisco 49ers in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft—reinforcing the trenches. The defensive front suffered significant losses this offseason. At the same time, the offensive line could use upgrades, despite general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan expressing confidence in their current group.
After finishing the 2024 season with just six wins, the 49ers hold the 11th overall pick. Yates projects them selecting Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen in the first round, bolstering a defensive interior that lost Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins.
“The 49ers have major work to do along the defensive line and perhaps a few other spots after losing multiple starters on both sides of the ball this offseason,” Yates wrote. “Nolen would be a play-wrecker for them. He is overwhelmingly powerful and explosive, and he could help replace veterans Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave.”
Nolen played one season at Ole Miss after transferring from Texas A&M. In 2024, he recorded 6.5 sacks, a career-high 48 tackles (14 for a loss), and three passes defensed.
“In a league that has put an increased premium on pass-rushing defensive tackles, he would provide San Francisco with a valuable building block,” Yates added.
With their second-round pick (No. 43 overall), Yates has the 49ers selecting Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery—a potential successor to left tackle Trent Williams.
“San Francisco’s search for offensive and defensive line reinforcements will be ongoing, and Ersery could be the heir apparent to Trent Williams (who is turning 37 in July) at left tackle,” Yates wrote. “Ersery allowed four sacks over 39 career starts, and his 6-foot-6, 331-pound frame makes it difficult for pass rushers to get around him.”