After four NFC Championship Game appearances in five seasons, the San Francisco 49ers crashed and burned amid a plague of injuries in 2024. Coupled with the most free agent defections of any team this offseason, the Niners are in a state of transition and facing a crossroads at the 2025 NFL Draft. How does PFSN grade each of San Francisco’s picks this year?
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Overall 49ers Draft Grade: D+
The 49ers haven’t re-signed Brock Purdy yet, but their actions during the draft suggest that they are very comfortable with him controlling their future. San Francisco didn’t address the offensive side of the ball until the late stages of Round 4 (WR Jordan Watkins out of Ole Miss), a bit of a surprise given the injury history Christian McCaffrey and seeing Jordan Mason/Deebo Samuel move on this offseason.
We don’t hate this decision, but their selections indicate a willingness to be patient and that was … interesting. First round pick Mykel Williams (EDGE) has plenty of strong traits, but the production at the collegiate level was never elite and there’s a learning curve that needs to be baked in.
Alfred Collins was their next pick, a defensive tackle with limited versatility, and Nick Martin plucked off the board in the third round, an undersized linebacker who was reported to have a Day 3, not Round 3, grade in most draftrooms.
This is still a very talented roster and if Purdy is truly a top-10 quarterback, some of these roster flaws can be overlooked. That said, this team is walking a fine line due to how they addressed this draft and that brings about plenty of short-term risk.
Grades for Every 49ers Draft Pick
- Round 1, Pick 11
Mykel Williams, EDGE | Georgia
Grade: B
There’s an argument to make that the 49ers would’ve been better served to reinforce their offensive line in Round 1, but Banks’ selection at ninth overall reduced their options. Ultimately, the 49ers’ needs were just as great on the other side of the trenches, and Mykel Williams was their selection.
Williams – in a similar mold to Shemar Stewart – was a polarizing prospect throughout the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. He never achieved elite levels of production at the collegiate level, but at 6’5” and 260 pounds, with almost 35” arms, he’s a moldable ball of clay with his size, explosiveness, hip fluidity, and overwhelming power component.
There’s a heavy developmental aspect with Williams in San Francisco, and he’ll need to grow as an independent pass-rusher, but it’s comforting that there are some high-floor elements of Williams’ game. He’s an elite run defender with gap instincts and edge-setting and stack-and-shed ability, and as a pass-rusher, he can be utilized on stunts as a battering ram. The upside is high opposite Nick Bosa if he can reach his ceiling.
- Round 2, Pick 43
Alfred Collins, DT | Texas
Grade: B
The 49ers’ interior defensive line desperately needed reinforcements heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, and they were quick to address it on Day 2. Alfred Collins is a monstrous specimen at 6’6”, 330 pounds, with over 34” arms, and at the very least, he can be an elite space-eater and stack-and-shed operator in the run game.
The concerns with Collins come from his lack of pass-rush utility. His overall motion can be plodding and uncoordinated, and he doesn’t have the downhill disruptive ability as a one-gapper that Robert Saleh normally likes from his DTs.
Collins will be best as an ancillary piece that disruptors can orbit around, but he improves the run defense on Day 1 and has some modest pass-rush upside.
- Round 3, Pick 75
Nick Martin, LB | Oklahoma State
Grade: C-
Linebacker was one of the 49ers’ many defensive needs after losing Dre Greenlaw in free agency. However, in picking Nick Martin, San Francisco reached for an undersized player many viewed as more of a Day 3 prospect.
Martin had a terrific 2023 season in Stillwater, Okla., leading the Big 12 with 140 tackles for the Cowboys. However, he played only five games in 2024 due to a knee injury, and comes with significant size concerns at 5’11” and 221 pounds.
To his credit, Martin compensates for his size with speed, as he ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine. San Francisco does value speed from its linebacker, but John Lynch is pushing it with the safety-sized Martin.
- Round 3, Pick 100
Upton Stout, CB | Western Kentucky
Grade: C-
The 49ers aren’t shy about following their board in the Day 2 range. Every year, John Lynch has eyebrow-raising picks in this area of the board, and this cycle is no different.
Upton Stout is a good player and could settle in nicely as a nickel defender alongside Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, but this is still a major reach with other options available.
To Stout’s credit, he’s an uber-competitive player at 5’8”, 181 pounds, who packs a punch at his size and has the high-caliber athleticism to match up with NFL talents.
Other Nickel defenders – such as Jordan Hancock – offered a better mix of NFL size, athleticism, and role versatility, and that’s why betting on Stout as a size outlier at this point is a bit trepidatious.
- Round 4, Pick 113
C.J. West, DT, Indiana
Grade: A
The 49ers’ run on defense continues, with C.J. West being their fifth straight defender picked this year. West adds some sorely needed help at defensive tackle, pairing with second-round run-stuffer Alfred Collins.
West comes with a similar early-down skill set, making it obvious that San Francisco wants to address a run defense that ranked 25th in rushing success rate in 2024. The 6’1”, 316-pound West is a squatty tackle who plays with great natural leverage, and his 1.73 10-yard split time at the Combine showed off his surprising burst.
- Round 4, Pick 138
Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss
Grade: D
The 49ers’ wide receiver room took a bit of a hit this offseason after they traded away Deebo Samuel. The group is still in a good spot with Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings, but Day 3 is a good time to take a swing for high-upside playmakers. Jordan Watkins doesn’t exactly scream upside.
Watkins has good play strength and could develop into a decent possession slot receiver in the NFL. He also has some value in the return game. However, he’s inconsistent as a route runner and lacks the ideal burst and speed you want from a slot guy. There were higher-rated receivers on the board here.
- Round 5, Pick 147
Jordan James, RB | Oregon
Grade: B+ - Round 5, Pick 160
Marques Sigle, S | Kansas State
Grade: C - Round 7, Pick 227
Kurtis Rourke, QB | Indiana
Grade: B - Round 7, Pick 249
Connor Colby, OG | Iowa
Grade: A- - Round 7, Pick 252
Junior Bergen, WR | Montana
Grade: C+