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NFL.com Ranks the 49ers' Draft Class 17th-Best in the NFL

Sounds like the 49ers could have one of the league's best run defenses next season.
Grant Cohn|
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Mykel Williams is selected as the No. 11 pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Mykel Williams is selected as the No. 11 pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Analysts don't seem to know what to make of the 49ers' draft this year.

Some analysts love it. Others hate it. And NFL.com's Gennaro Filice ranks it pretty much right in the middle at No. 17.

"Robert Saleh’s back," writes Filice. "And in his second stint with San Francisco, the defensive coordinator’s first order of business is evident: STOP THE GODDAMN RUN! The 49ers fell apart last season, losing seven of their last eight games. In related news, they ranked 30th in rush defense during that span, allowing 145.3 rushing yards per game.

"Consequently, the Niners were hell-bent on fortifying their defensive front in this draft, using three of their first five picks on stout run defenders. Now, to be clear, Mykel Williams has the potential to become much more than a simple run-stuffer. Still just 20 years old, the physically imposing edge possesses tantalizing traits -- developing them is the task at hand for San Francisco D-line coach Kris Kocurek."

Playing opposite Nick Bosa should give Williams lots of one-on-one pass-rush opportunities which he did not get at Georgia.

Filice names second-round pick Alfred Collins as his favorite. And his most underrated pick is fourth-round selection C.J. West.

"The Indiana Hoosiers made last season’s College Football Playoff," writes Filice. "I don't think we talk about that enough. West played a huge part in IU’s magical campaign as the centerpiece of the nation’s No. 1 run defense. While Collins wins with sheer size and power, this 6-1 defensive tackle makes great use of his natural leverage and possesses an endearing mean streak."

Sounds like the 49ers could have one of the league's best run defenses next season. If Williams develops into a quality pass rusher, analysts will look at this draft quite favorably.

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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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