The 49ers aren’t bringing back most of their defensive line who played last season. Of the players who are returning, who will improve the most in 2025?
The San Francisco 49ers released Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave, and Maliek Collins this offseason. That’s everyone besides Nick Bosa among the starters. We know the Niners are going to draft multiple defensive linemen a week from now. It’s unlikely that the Niners go into a season with three rookies starting next to Bosa, which brings us to our question of the day:
Question of the day: Which 49ers pass rusher will make the biggest jump in 2025?
Yetur Gross-Matos, Sam Okuayinonu, Kalia Davis, and…Drake Jackson? Those are the players we’re talking about. Evan Anderson likely deserves to be in the conversation, as he showed promising traits.
Gross-Matos will likely have the most opportunities. The former second-rounder didn’t start a game last season, but consistently played around 35 snaps a game. The production wasn’t great, and he missed more tackles than you’d like for an edge rusher. Still, Gross-Matos caused just enough disruption for a player who missed a substantial amount of time to make you think he’d improve, as most players do, in Year 2 under Kris Kocurek.
Okuayinonu earned more playing time after making splash plays during the first month of the season. His production tailed off in December, but with how hard Sam O plays, it’s easy to picture him blossoming as he figures out what he can and can’t get away with in the 49ers’ scheme. Okuayinonu is my pick.
Both players have accomplished more than Jackson, who had three sacks in a game, but has been either injured or a ghost for much of his career.
With a year under his belt, I think Anderson can be a player the 49ers use in rotation. Of course, you’d like him to be a player who gives you 20ish snaps a game. If the 49ers draft a pair of defensive tackles and put Anderson in a role where he’s not expected to play starter-level snaps, it’ll benefit the second-year pro. Less is more with Anderson.
Which 49ers pass rusher do you think will make the biggest jump in 2025? Vote below and let us know in the comments.