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The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in an interesting spot heading into the 2025 NFL draft. After seeing several key players depart this offseason, the Niners need to nail the draft and find a way to add talented players on cheap rookie contracts. Armed with the No. 11 overall pick, there are several different avenues the team could pursue, with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated outlining a “curveball” move that the team could make.
Pretty much every option is on the table for San Francisco, as they have been linked to a potential trade up or down the board, but if they stay put, they will be eyeing several different players who could fill holes for them on their roster. While Breer ultimately thinks the 49ers will draft Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen, he also mentioned that they could opt to strengthen their offense by selecting Arizona football wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
“I think GM John Lynch and coach Mike Shanahan get Robert Saleh and Kris Kocurek the disruptive interior rusher they need—with Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins gone—and trust they’ll be able to light a fire under Nolen, who’s ultra-talented and also seen as having a sense of entitlement,” Breer wrote in his final mock draft. “But if there’s a curveball coming here, keep an eye on McMillan, whose old coach, Jedd Fisch, is a Mike Shanahan disciple.”
San Francisco selecting McMillan with the No. 11 pick would be surprising for several different reasons. For starters, they used their first-round pick last year on Ricky Pearsall, who is also a wide receiver. While the team did trade Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders, they still have playmakers at wide receiver (Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings) and elsewhere on offense, with George Kittle at tight end and Christian McCaffrey at running back.
There are question marks at wide receiver, as Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, and Pearsall didn’t enjoy a full rookie campaign after he spent the beginning of the season recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Plus, this could be an opportunity for the 49ers to inflict some pain on their longtime rival, the Dallas Cowboys, as they have been heavily linked to McMillan ahead of the draft. Time will tell what San Fran does, with the draft set to get underway on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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