Why the 49ers Drafted Indiana DT CJ West

Indiana defensive tackle CJ West reminded the 49ers a lot of one of their former impactful players.

Indiana's CJ West tackles Michigan's Donovan Edwards at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Adding to the defensive line was a top priority for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL draft.

With so many players departed and released, they needed to address it and do it early and often. That is exactly what the 49ers did when they selected three defensive linemen in their first five picks.

The last defensive lineman they selected was Indiana defensive tackle CJ West in the fourth round at No. 113 overall. West will team with defensive tackle Alfred Collins and defensive end Mykel Williams.

West can be a player that gets overlooked since he was taken on Day 3 of the draft and was the 49ers' last defensive lineman picked.

However, there is a good reason why the 49ers drafted West, and it isn't just because they needed to.

"We had some departures this offseason and we felt it was important to restock," said John Lynch. "Not just with guys. We wanted to put guys that fit our vision for what we want that room to be. And we've talked about Alfred. C.J. is the same way. C.J., I think, if we're talking about him, extremely stout, sturdy, but also has the quickness and strength to play in the other team's backfield.

"Makes a lot of splash plays in the other team's backfield. I had the chance to watch him live this year when we went back to Ohio State. Indiana was there and made an impression in that game. But more so his film, his body of work has really stood out and we just felt like was a really good fit. Another add to the D-Line we're building.”

Of all the defensive tackles available in the fourth round, the 49ers believed West was their perfect fit. He continues the trend of defensive linemen taken who play the run extremely well.

It's clear what the 49ers' emphasis was in this year's draft. Their run defense last year was subpar. With all of these additions and Robert Saleh back, they should be vastly improved.

Another reason the 49ers liked West is that he reminds them of D.J. Jones. Their physique and quickness are similar to each other, which defensive line coach Kris Kocurek identified.

“He actually said that in his report in our draft meetings," Lynch said of Kocurek. "I was just looking at my notes again and Kris said, ‘D.J. Jones comp.’ And so, I think there are a lot of similarities and that's a good thing for us.”

The 49ers' defensive line should be back to normal in 2025 after it was unrecognizable in 2024.