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49ers Pick Toledo Defensive Tackle Darius Alexander in New Mock Draft

Alexander is a good college player who is having a terrific offseason.
Grant Cohn|
Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Toledo defensive lineman Darius Alexander (DL02) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Toledo defensive lineman Darius Alexander (DL02) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

There's an excellent chance the 49ers will draft a defensive tackle with their first-round pick this year.

It's probably the worst position on the team. Javon Hargrave is getting released. Maliek Collins is replaceable and will be a free agent next year. And Jordan Elliott is a backup.

Realistically, the 49ers need to add two defensive tackles this offseason -- one in free agency and one in the draft.

That's why CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli projects the 49ers to draft Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander with the 11th pick.

"Truth be told, I like Walter Nolen better than Darius Alexander, but I had Nolen here in my last mock, so I'm switching it up a bit," writes Fornelli. "Alexander had a very impressive combine, and I know there are some teams who are extremely high on him."

Alexander is a good player who is having a terrific offseason. He shined a the Senior Bowl and then performed extremely well at the Combine. He seems to have the size and length required to play defensive tackle in the 49ers' Wide 9 defensive front while also possessing the speed and athleticism defensive coordinator Robert Saleh covets.

Before the Combine, Alexander was projected to get drafted at the end of Round 1. Now, it's apparent he's more athletic than a few defensive tackles who are projected to get taken before him. Which means he certainly is an option for the 49ers with the 11th pick or if they trade down.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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