San Francisco needs upgrades at several positions. What positions are musts in the draft?
The 2025 NFL Draft is coming up and the San Francisco 49ers have a lot of questions to answer after a quiet offseason that involved quite a few key free agents departing.
In an effort to get younger and cheaper, the 49ers are heavily focusing on the draft where they must get multiple impact players to fill the gaps left this offseason.
Looking at mock drafts, there are a number of positions that analysts have San Francisco taking, especially in the first round.
But, which positions are “musts” in the 2025 NFL Draft for the franchise?
Defensive Line
The 49ers need to draft at least one defensive lineman, although it’s very plausible that they take multiple in this year’s NFL Draft.
Not only are the 49ers well-positioned to take one early in the draft, but San Francisco also has the chance to add some depth with how deep this class is at the position.
Interior defensive linemen are the priority, but the 49ers could also target edges to fill in the rotation alongside Nick Bosa and Yetur Gross-Matos.
San Francisco released top defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, depleting a group that already struggled in defending the run last season. They also let go off veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd
Regardless of where it comes in the draft, the 49ers need to come away with at least one defensive linemen, given their depth on the edge and on the interior currently.
Running Back
Surprisingly, the 49ers need to take a running back in this draft.
The position has haunted fans in the past when it comes to draft selections, as the 49ers whiffed on third-round picks Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price. They also took Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round last year, recently making an investment at the position.
But, the 49ers traded Jordan Mason this offseason for a sixth-round pick, leaving them without key depth at the position. They brought back Patrick Taylor Jr. on a one-year deal and still have Christian McCaffrey and Guerendo.
However, they need another body and this is a very deep running back class, making the position a must in the draft to find another younger, cheaper solution. McCaffrey is on the other end of his career, so a future replacement could be found as early as this offseason.
Cornerback
The 49ers didn’t do much at cornerback this offseason after seeing Charvarius Ward walk in free agency.
They brought in Tre Brown, but his contract suggests there’s more work to be done at the position, which should come in the draft. The 49ers saw early success with their selection of Renardo Green in the second round last year, and they could very well go for an early-round cornerback in 2025.
There are options to draft in the first round, but a second or third-round pick could be used to find a starting cornerback as well, creating a young core of Green, Deommodore Lenoir, and a draft pick at the position.