Niners Nation
There’s pressure at players on all three levels of the 49ers’ defense as they head into training camp this month.
The 49ers’ defense heads into 2025 under a huge deal of scrutiny following a nightmare 2024 season for the unit in its lone year under the guidance of Nick Sorensen.
Not helped by injuries, San Francisco’s defense slumped from one of the better units in the NFL to a bottom-half group and a sieve against the run, the 49ers’ struggles predictably leading to the firing of Sorensen.
For 2025, there is renewed hope with the return of Robert Saleh as coordinator and the 49ers’ heavy investment in the defensive front as San Francisco looks to ensure that group returns to being a driving force of success.
But with expectation of a bounce-back comes pressure and, after looking at the three offensive players under the most pressure heading into training camp this month, we now turn our attention to the defense.
The 49ers relieved some of the pressure on Williams from a pass-rushing perspective with their trade for Bryce Huff, which should allow him to play inside more often on true passing downs and facilitate more opportunities for him to disrupt the quarterback in those situations.
But scrutiny is a given when you are selected with the 11th overall pick, and Williams will spend the entirety of camp and preseason under a spotlight that will remain throughout the regular season.
Earlier offseason practices showed a player who is as advertised in terms of his physical stature. The challenge in camp, and indeed in preseason, will be for Williams to boost confidence he can help immediately improve a run defense that was dreadful in 2024 and demonstrate early signs of development as a pass rusher.
If he can display the prowess against the rush that was obvious in college in training camp practices and in preseason, that will be a promising sign for Williams at least being an asset to the 49ers in one facet of the game as a rookie.
Should he consistently shine as a pass rusher, excitement around his ceiling as a high-impact defender will rise. With the 49ers having invested so much in his services and pinned much of their hopes in run defense on his abilities, what Williams can’t afford is a training camp in which he fails to stand out for anything other than his massive frame.
The 49ers could have sent a clear signal to Dee Winters that he is their choice to succeed Dre Greenlaw as their WILL linebacker by not investing in the position in the draft.
Instead, they made it clear he will have significant competition for that spot next to Fred Warner by selecting Nick Martin, whose collegiate tape at Oklahoma State screamed Greenlaw successor, in the third round.
Their battle for that spot will be one of the most important competitions in training camp as the 49ers aim to find a long-term solution at...
