Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers’ offseason goal wasn’t a secret. The plan was to transform the defense’s identity a year after being pushed around. A defensive line with a pass-rush-first mentality is how you end up ranking 31st in the NFL in points per drive.
The 2025 rookies were never going to be of the “flashy” variety. It was the class that would build the foundation for the future. Add in Robert Saleh’s scheme, teaching and communication skills, and the improvements have been on full display this past month, even amid injuries.
A make-shift defensive line relying on a mix of journeymen, UDFAs, and rookies has shaved nearly a half point per drive off last year’s total and is up to 13th in points per drive this season.
Let’s grade the rookies 13 weeks into the season.
November was supposed to be the month where Williams played subpar offensive lines, gained confidence, stuffed the stat sheet, and looked like a player drafted in the top 15.
Williams had a quiet October, which may leave a sour taste in 49ers’ fans’ minds. Football has turned into judging players by the box score. So, when you see one sack and four tackles for loss in nine games, it looks like Williams wasn’t worthy of the pick. We’re going to use the foundation word a lot today. That’s because neither of these rookies was going to show up in the box score, especially the top two picks.
Williams’s rookie season is incomplete due to his unfortunate season-ending knee injury at the end of the New York Giants game, but his story is far from complete.
There’s a play a game that Collins makes and you can see why the 49ers took him early in the second round. But we’re still waiting on the production. On the season, Collins has 10 tackles and five pressures.
Where Collins’ impact his felt is in short-yardage situations and on the ground. The 49ers are tied for 12th in the NFL in stuffed percentage, which is a run play resulting in no gain or a loss, at 18 percent, per FTN Fantasy. Collins is on the field on every third or fourth-and-short play, and is the primary reason the defense gets off the field in those situations.
Last week, the Browns tried to run at Collins, and he reset the line of scrimmage, pushed the left guard backward, forced the running back to redirect, and landed in CJ West’s lap.
Collins is a “push the pocket” type of pass rusher. It would look much better if the 49ers had both edge presences on the field as they planned before the season. They don’t, and everybody involved is suffering because of it. Still, Collins has shown that he belongs, even if there are blips here and there.
There are enough plays where Collins is still playing too high, which leads to him getting moved. That, paired with not having much pass rush...
