49ers success or failure in 2025 depends almost entirely on NFL draft picks

[ASFN Admin]

Following a quiet NFL free agency period, the 49ers really need to knock the 2025 NFL draft out of the park next week.

USA TODAY Sports agrees. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz included San Francisco among his 10 teams with the most at stake in the 2025 NFL draft.

With 11 picks, the 49ers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the most selections of any team in this year's draft. And after cap casualties and free agency defections ravaged what had arguably been the league's deepest and most talented roster, general manager John Lynch knows he needs to deliver, saying at last month's annual league meeting, "more so than in recent past, there are slots we have to fill with those (picks)."

As Robert Saleh steps back into his old role as defensive coordinator, it should be priority to build out the defensive line that once led the way for one of the NFC's formidable contenders. While Nick Bosa needs a proper running mate on the edge, the interior might be the more immediate concern given the lack of a punch after Javon Hargrave and Jordan Elliott's releases. Cornerback also is a sore spot for a defense that will have to try to counter the Los Angeles Rams' receiving tandem of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, while finding a successor for Trent Williams at left tackle also has to be on Lynch's mind.

Given that it has 11 picks at its disposal, San Francisco could conceivably find answers to all of those needs. Middlehurst-Schwartz commented on what he feels the 49ers need to do.

Make the most of their full array of picks. In the early years of Lynch's partnership with Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers routinely struck gold in the middle to late rounds with the likes of tight end George Kittle (fifth round, 2017), linebacker Fred Warner (third round, 2018), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (fifth round, 2019) and, of course, quarterback Brock Purdy (seventh round, 2022). And while third-round offensive guard Dominick Puni showed great promise as a rookie, the team hasn't had quite the same success rate later on in the draft in recent years. San Francisco should be able to take advantage of a deep defensive line class to find multiple options on both the interior and edge while still finding key contributors later on. - USA TODAY Sports.

Though it's been a minute, that mid- to late-round draft success should be encouraging for the fan base. The 49ers have seven picks from the fourth round onward.

San Francisco also has four top-100 selections and there will be a great emphasis on the 49ers getting each of those four picks right after opting to be less active during the free agency period.

The 49ers own the No. 11 overall selection in the first round, the No. 43 pick in the second and picks No. 75 and No. 100 in the third round. The 2025 NFL draft gets underway on Thursday, April 24 from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers among teams with 'most at stake' in 2025 NFL draft

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