Niners Nation
Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, January 31st, 2025
Hutchinson: Fixing the 49ers: How SF can solve top problem at defensive tackle
“Jeremiah Ledbetter is someone I put out at the trade deadline as fitting this mold for cheap. He is a 30-year-old free agent who has never been paid more than $2 million per year. All he does is hold gaps and disrupt the run game. Go get him. See here.
Then look at the rest of the free agency market and decide whether it’s worth getting another veteran. D.J. Jones, Morgan Fox and B.J. Hill are all out there as higher end guys. But there are other stout options like Daniel Ekuale, Tershawn Wharton, Poona Ford and Teair Tart. But this takes a recognition from the 49ers’ brass that they need players whose main responsibility is not going to be driving upfield with a blind commitment. They are disruptors who maintain gap integrity, and stocking up on them is not a bad idea.
In the draft, you’ve got an interesting, deep defensive tackle class. It’s being made out as an exceedingly strong one, and that could prove true, but there are some popular names who are more questions than answers.
There are a lot of could-be greats like Kenneth Grant and Deone Walker and Alfred Collins, but they have steep downsides, too. There’s one clear guy at the top in Mason Graham, who may well be gone by the 49ers’ pick. After him, Walter Nolen from Ole Miss is a freak athlete who should be in consideration, maybe a bit later than No. 11.
This leaves out a ton of other intriguing players like Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, and some later-round players, especially those impressing at the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowls.
One guy who I think the 49ers should strongly consider taking at any point from the third round on is Texas defensive tackle Vernon Broughton. He is an absolute game wrecker and the lack of attention he has gotten is befuddling.
He is stout in the run game, and has astoundingly quick, forceful hands to shed blockers in the pass game. He reminds me a bit of Tart, with better contact balance. Maybe a mix of him, a stumpier, slower Kobie Turner. He’s excellent, and this is a situation where the 49ers need to stack talent at defensive tackle.”
Five players 49ers should watch at Senior Bowl ahead of 2025 draft
“General manager John Lynch and directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and R.J. Gillen have been observed this week at the practice sessions at the Senior Bowl.
The premier showcase for college talent entering the NFL has plenty of players who attracted the 49ers’ attention as candidates to acquire during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Most of the scouts leave town after viewing the practices. The rest of us can watch the game Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on the NFL Network.”
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