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A trade back in the 2025 NFL draft may be the best move for the San Francisco 49ers.
Not only would they be able to find good value in a move back, but it would give them an opportunity to collect additional draft capital in a year where the quantity of their picks is going to matter a lot. The 49ers will enter the 2025 draft with 11 picks. It wouldn't be a surprise if they walk away from the three-day selection process with more than 11 selections.
Athlon Sports' Luke Easterling outlined one way the 49ers could benefit from a trade down in the first round in a recent four-round projection. Instead of standing pat and taking the best player available at 11th overall, Easterling has San Francisco sliding down nine spots to No. 20 overall and acquiring a second-round pick from the Denver Broncos to do so.
That deal sets up a home run four-round mock for the 49ers.
There was a point in the draft process where Grant was a popular selection for the 49ers at No. 11 overall. He's a big, athletic defensive tackle with the tools to be a Day 1 starter. There are a handful of good DT prospects between this point and Round 2, but Grant's ceiling makes him a fine choice after a trade down.
The 49ers probably like their internal candidates to take over for departed left guard Aaron Banks. Jackson is not only a prospect who projects as a Day 1 starter on the interior, but he put together some very good film as a left tackle when he kicked outside because of an injury to starting left tackle Josh Simmons. If the 49ers believe Jackson's LT abilities will translate to the NFL, he'd be a prime candidate to replace Trent Williams long term while answering a question mark at left guard in the short term.
Getting this additional Round 2 pick gives the 49ers some flexibility. Jackson works at No. 43 because a player like Tuimoloau is available eight picks later. He's not the best DE prospect in this class, but he checks the size boxes at 6-4, 265 pounds and he's coming off a senior season where he posted a career-high 12.5 sacks. Tuimoloau's floor is high and he should at least be a situational edge rusher right away for San Francisco. It wouldn't be a surprise if he steps into the pros as an every-down player.
Paul is a fun player to watch. He's undersized at 6-0, 227 pounds, but that matters less at the Will linebacker spot where his athleticism and coverage skills will shine. He spent three seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Ole Miss for his final college season. Across 40 games he posted 225 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six pass breakups and one interception. This is a fine selection at this point if the 49ers think Paul can step in and fill the vacancy left by Dre Greenlaw right away.
The 49ers have a strange situation at cornerback. There's a starting job open after they lost Charvarius Ward, but how high they'll prioritize that spot remains to be seen. They signed a handful of low-level free agents this offseason. That shouldn't deter them from finding a CB they think can compete for a starting job right away. Dotson has NFL size at 6-foot, 192 pounds and his production numbers are tremendous. He posted 37 pass breakups and 12 interceptions in the last four years. His 4.59 40-yard dash is a concern because he doesn't play with a ton of physicality to mitigate some of the issues his lack of top-end speed present. Dotson could contend for a starting job right away, but he wouldn't be a shoo-in for the open spot.
This is a good range for the 49ers to think about a wide receiver. Their WR corps has a handful of huge question marks and snagging another early on Day 3 makes sense. Williams has size/speed combination the 49ers don't have in their WR room. He ran a 4.48 40 at 6-3, 222 pounds. His on-field speed looks even better than his 40 mark would indicate. Williams' receiving production leaves a bit to be desired after he posted 137 receptions, 1,655 yards and 14 touchdowns in 52 games in five seasons. The fascinating part about Williams' game is his breakout season as a runner. TCU lined him up in a variety of ways to turn him into a wideback of sorts. He carried it 51 times for 322 yards and six touchdowns. That kind of versatility on Day 3 should be of interest to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
This is a year where an early Day 3 pick at running back actually makes sense for the 49ers. He's 5-11, 217 pounds and he uses that size with a bruising, physical running style. Miami didn't utilize Martinez much as a pass catcher which may limit his early usage in San Francisco. He was a dynamite runner though who produced 3,169 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 514 carries in his career. In all three seasons he was with the Hurricanes he averaged at least 6.1 yards per carry.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers hit home run after trade back in 4-round 2025 NFL mock draft
Continue reading...
Not only would they be able to find good value in a move back, but it would give them an opportunity to collect additional draft capital in a year where the quantity of their picks is going to matter a lot. The 49ers will enter the 2025 draft with 11 picks. It wouldn't be a surprise if they walk away from the three-day selection process with more than 11 selections.
Athlon Sports' Luke Easterling outlined one way the 49ers could benefit from a trade down in the first round in a recent four-round projection. Instead of standing pat and taking the best player available at 11th overall, Easterling has San Francisco sliding down nine spots to No. 20 overall and acquiring a second-round pick from the Denver Broncos to do so.
That deal sets up a home run four-round mock for the 49ers.
Round 1, Pick 20: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
There was a point in the draft process where Grant was a popular selection for the 49ers at No. 11 overall. He's a big, athletic defensive tackle with the tools to be a Day 1 starter. There are a handful of good DT prospects between this point and Round 2, but Grant's ceiling makes him a fine choice after a trade down.
Round 2, Pick 43: OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
The 49ers probably like their internal candidates to take over for departed left guard Aaron Banks. Jackson is not only a prospect who projects as a Day 1 starter on the interior, but he put together some very good film as a left tackle when he kicked outside because of an injury to starting left tackle Josh Simmons. If the 49ers believe Jackson's LT abilities will translate to the NFL, he'd be a prime candidate to replace Trent Williams long term while answering a question mark at left guard in the short term.
Round 2, Pick 51: DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
Getting this additional Round 2 pick gives the 49ers some flexibility. Jackson works at No. 43 because a player like Tuimoloau is available eight picks later. He's not the best DE prospect in this class, but he checks the size boxes at 6-4, 265 pounds and he's coming off a senior season where he posted a career-high 12.5 sacks. Tuimoloau's floor is high and he should at least be a situational edge rusher right away for San Francisco. It wouldn't be a surprise if he steps into the pros as an every-down player.
Round 3, Pick 75: LB Chris Paul Jr., Mississippi
Paul is a fun player to watch. He's undersized at 6-0, 227 pounds, but that matters less at the Will linebacker spot where his athleticism and coverage skills will shine. He spent three seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Ole Miss for his final college season. Across 40 games he posted 225 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six pass breakups and one interception. This is a fine selection at this point if the 49ers think Paul can step in and fill the vacancy left by Dre Greenlaw right away.
Round 3, Pick 100: CB Mello Dotson, Kansas
The 49ers have a strange situation at cornerback. There's a starting job open after they lost Charvarius Ward, but how high they'll prioritize that spot remains to be seen. They signed a handful of low-level free agents this offseason. That shouldn't deter them from finding a CB they think can compete for a starting job right away. Dotson has NFL size at 6-foot, 192 pounds and his production numbers are tremendous. He posted 37 pass breakups and 12 interceptions in the last four years. His 4.59 40-yard dash is a concern because he doesn't play with a ton of physicality to mitigate some of the issues his lack of top-end speed present. Dotson could contend for a starting job right away, but he wouldn't be a shoo-in for the open spot.
Round 4, Pick 113: WR Savion Williams, TCU
This is a good range for the 49ers to think about a wide receiver. Their WR corps has a handful of huge question marks and snagging another early on Day 3 makes sense. Williams has size/speed combination the 49ers don't have in their WR room. He ran a 4.48 40 at 6-3, 222 pounds. His on-field speed looks even better than his 40 mark would indicate. Williams' receiving production leaves a bit to be desired after he posted 137 receptions, 1,655 yards and 14 touchdowns in 52 games in five seasons. The fascinating part about Williams' game is his breakout season as a runner. TCU lined him up in a variety of ways to turn him into a wideback of sorts. He carried it 51 times for 322 yards and six touchdowns. That kind of versatility on Day 3 should be of interest to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Round 4, Pick 138: RB Damien Martinez, Miami
This is a year where an early Day 3 pick at running back actually makes sense for the 49ers. He's 5-11, 217 pounds and he uses that size with a bruising, physical running style. Miami didn't utilize Martinez much as a pass catcher which may limit his early usage in San Francisco. He was a dynamite runner though who produced 3,169 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 514 carries in his career. In all three seasons he was with the Hurricanes he averaged at least 6.1 yards per carry.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers hit home run after trade back in 4-round 2025 NFL mock draft
Continue reading...
