Is Rookie Alfred Collins the Next Great 49ers Defensive Tackle?

The 49ers need some young players to be special.

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins (DL08) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers need some young players to be special.

Their core is getting old, and it couldn't deliver a Lombardi Trophy when it was in its prime. Now, several rookies need to assert themselves and push this aging core over the top.

One rookie that Fox Sports expects to be special is second-round pick Alfred Collins. In fact, Fox Sports NFL Draft Analyst Rob Rang compares Collins to 49ers Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bryant Young.

"Given the dominance of San Francisco’s defensive line over the past quarter-century, it might surprise you to learn that the 49ers haven’t produced a defensive tackle with more than one Pro Bowl to their credit since Young was honored after the 2001 and 2002 campaigns," writes Fox Sports' Rob Rang.

"Young was big and powerful, but also surprisingly agile and a very instinctive defender. Collins is still figuring things out, but his physical traits are like something generated on AI. If the 49ers hit on him, they truly will have struck gold."

Technically, the 49ers drafted three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, but they traded him to the Colts after his first Pro Bowl in one of the worst moves in franchise history. The 49ers probably hope that Collins is the next Buckner.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Collins looks more like the next Javon Kinlaw right now. That's because Collins is injured and hasn't practiced with the 49ers yet this offseason. Apparently, he reaggravated a calf injury during his Pro Day, the 49ers knew about it, and drafted him anyway.

So he might be great one day. But he's got a long way to go before he can be compared to Young or Buckner.