The Niners need a defensive tackle. Who is their best fit in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The San Francisco 49ers are just over two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft, where they currently hold the No. 11 pick in the first round.
With the draft nearing closer and closer, there is a lot of speculation as to whom the 49ers could end up picking in the first few rounds, as they have a couple of needs to address after a quiet offseason.
Among those needs? Defensive tackle. The 49ers released starting defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins this offseason and elected not to sign anyone notable to the room as replacements.
Currently, they’re rolling with Jordan Elliott, Evan Anderson, Kalia Davis, and Kevin Givens as their top defensive tackles ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. That room needs some improvement.
Lucky for them, this is one of the best defensive tackle classes in recent memory in terms of depth, so the 49ers don’t have to address the position on Day 1 to find a starting-caliber impact player.
Who could be a strong fit on Day 2 for the 49ers at defensive tackle?
Listing the best draft fit for each team on Day 2, PFF’s Mason Cameron pointed to a defensive tackle for the 49ers, highlighting South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders as the prospect to target.
“The 49ers need a disruptive presence on the interior, so targeting a disruptive 3-technique like Sanders makes too much sense. His wicked first step and lateral quickness — due to his basketball background — allowed him to penetrate at a high level, contributing to his 90.3 PFF pass-rush grade versus true pass sets last season.”
Sanders was not only the top defensive tackle fit listed on Day 2, but the top prospect fit overall for the 49ers.
Looking into Sanders as a player, NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein pointed out his hands, power, and twitchiness as a defensive tackle.
“Sanders is a powerful road block with heavy hands and a strong core,” Zeirlein wrote. “He rarely touches the ground. Despite a lack of knee bend, he usually gives better than he gets and blockers have a hard time keeping him sealed. He punches and locks out quickly with a twitchy shed to tackle a gap over.
“His rush features average first-step quickness, but sudden hand swipes and play-through power in his lower half open pathways to the pocket. Sanders’ blend of power and pressure should put him on the board for both odd and even-front defenses as a potential three-down solution.”
At 6’4, 297 pounds, Sanders fits the mold of what San Francisco covets in a defensive lineman, and could be a starter for the team at a premium position selected outside of the first round.
If the 49ers do target Sanders on Day 2, they could double-dip at the position after an early selection in Round 1 or prioritize another need before coming around on a defensive tackle in the second or third round.
As the draft nears, defensive tackle seems like a position the 49ers will certainly address in the 2025 NFL Draft. T.J. Sanders could be the target.