ClutchPoints
The San Francisco 49ers are in an awkward position as a franchise. San Francisco parted ways with several of their veteran stars in an epic roster purge earlier this offseason. These moves were likely made to set up a potential Brock Purdy extension. The 49ers also handed out a big extension for tight end George Kittle, who is now the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
Are the 49ers a contending team that is only a few pieces away from a Super Bowl? Or are they a rebuilding team that is about to extend a franchise quarterback on a long-term extension?
These questions make it difficult to judge who the 49ers think they are and what they’re looking to accomplish over the next few seasons.
As a result, it is even trickier to make sense of how San Francisco ought to approach their roster construction. This is especially apparent after the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 49ers did a solid job of adding a mix of player that will both help them in 2025 and who could become long-term pieces to build around.
However, no draft class is perfect. Credit where it is due to 49ers GM John Lynch, he had a solid draft. But there were a few areas where San Francisco could have done better.
Below we will explore three of the biggest mistakes the 49ers made during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 49ers made an exciting pick in the first round, grabbing edge rusher Mykel Williams to pair with Nick Bosa.
I want to start by saying that I am a fan of this pick. Williams is one edge rusher I was very fond of in the pre-draft process. When I saw him go off the board at 11th overall, it did not feel like that much of a reach. In fact, I love the fit with the 49ers.
Despite this, I still think the 49ers could have used the 11th overall pick to add more value to the team.
It may not be fair, but there is on critique I can throw at almost any team between picks 11 and 25. Both the Giants and Falcons were desperate to trade back up into the first round. The Giants moved up to grab Jaxson Dart and the Falcons did so for James Pearce Jr.
It takes two to tango, so I understand that it wasn’t guaranteed that San Fran could have traded down with either team. But it would have certainly been a better move.
I would have also like to see the 49ers go after one of a few different players who ended up being first-round picks. Those include G Tyler Booker (12th overall), DT Walter Nolen (16th overall), and DB Jahdae Barron (20th overall).
It is easy to understand why the 49ers drafted Alfred Collins in the second round.
Collins...
