Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025
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Will 49ers’ Brock Purdy report to offseason workouts without a contract extension? (paywall)
“If Purdy doesn’t report Tuesday, it could indicate contract negotiations are acrimonious. If Purdy is in Santa Clara, it could partly be because it’s highly unlikely that he could suffer an injury over the next five weeks. It’s a significant factor for a player such as Purdy, who is likely to sign a contract that could average at least $50 million per year that will include a huge amount of fully guaranteed money. Purdy is scheduled to earn $5.3 million this season in the final year of his deal.
The first phase of the NFL’s offseason program spans two weeks and is limited to meetings, strength and conditioning and rehab. The second phase, which lasts three weeks, includes on-field work, but players don’t wear helmets and any drills in which offensive and defensive players face each other are conducted at half speed. The 49ers don’t begin the third phase, which includes non-contact, full-speed OTA practices, until May 27.”
Albert Breer suggests 49ers could ‘take a swing’ on this D-lineman
“Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen may go higher than you think,” Breer wrote in his Monday morning feature for Sports Illustrated. “Some teams believe he projects better to the NFL than Graham. The character/entitlement question is what you have to get past. But if you have solid infrastructure, as well as locker room and defensive line room, the payoff could be big. So if the San Francisco 49ers are willing to take a swing …”
Regarding those character concerns, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported, “Multiple scouts have maturity concerns … There are several NFL scouting reports that reflect Nolen’s history of walking off the practice field mid-session due to frustration. Opinions of his team interviews are varied, but one NFL personnel executive said Nolen came across as someone who wants to improve and shed bad habits.”
49ers 7-round mock draft: Mykel Williams and Tyleik Williams bolster D-line (paywall)
“San Francisco, which has been searching for Nick Bosa’s bookend since the end of the 2019 season, finds one in the sturdy, long-armed Williams. No, his 2024 numbers — five sacks last season — don’t scream early first-round pick. But keep in mind that he played with a high ankle sprain for most of 2024, sat out two and a half games and was part of a defensive front that heavily rotated its players. Williams also is still two months shy of his 21st birthday. His best is yet to come.”
2025 NFL Draft confidential: Woe is the team in need of a quarterback this year (paywall)
“[Shemar Stewart] is an avatar,” said DL coach No. 2. “If he hits, he hits. I don’t know why he didn’t have more sacks. I just think he plays lost. Everybody thinks they can fix it. This is like taking a receiver who only had 15 catches. He was happy-go-lucky, a little aloof in the meetings, but you see him walk in and it’s like holy hell! You can say Rashan Gary only had 3.5 sacks in his last year at Michigan, but Rashan is an alpha. This kid is very nice. You want to go to Starbucks with him.”
“I’d be wary,” said the scouting director. “He’s a freak athlete, no question. I just don’t know if he’s a good football player.”