What 49ers' Interest in Vita Vea Says About Alfred Collins

The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly one of the few teams that are calling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Vita Vea. While the move makes sense from the 49ers' perspective of being all-in, it does speak loudly about how they feel about second-year defensive tackle Alfred Collins.

San Francisco 49ers' interest in Vita Vea is bad news for Alfred Collins

Collins was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and would mostly play the nose tackle role that Vea also plays. While Collins got off to a slow start, he flashed a lot as a run defender. The issue is that he provided very little as a pass rusher.

That was always a part of his draft profile as well. He came in with a high floor, but fell to Round 2 because there were questions about whether he could be explosive enough in the passing game.

That is why the team might be looking at Vea to replace him. Collins had 14 pressures on 492 snaps last year. Vea’s career low in pressures was 16, and that came in 2020 when he only had 224 snaps and five games played due to injury. Last year, Vea had 51 pressures.

This is an obvious short-term upgrade, but it diminishes the long-term possibility of Collins developing into a trusted asset. With Osa Odighizuwa in the mix, the team would start the two veterans, and Collins would hardly have a role on the team.

Vea is not old enough to be done after one year, so the entirety of the rookie contract for Collins would be overshadowed by these veterans.

Considering the 49ers have C.J. West and Gracen Halton as depth assets as well as Bryson Eason, James Thompson, and Sebastian Valdez competing for the practice squad, it would make sense for Collins to be in any package that is sent for Vea.

The Bucs get a young player who can fill the hole they lose for Vea. It would save them money and give them potential. The 49ers would not have a role for Collins if they traded for Vea, and considering he is a former second-round pick, it would make the draft assets that San Francisco adds much lower than other teams.

It is impossible to know what the 49ers' package is, but considering the fit, it is hard to hear the 49ers' interest in Vea and not read it as an interest in moving on from Collins at the same time.

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