General manager John Lynch typically has tried to fill needs on the 49ers’ roster in the draft a year before there was a need to fill.
The 49ers have done so little in free agency this offseason with an alarming number of net losses that they will need to draft for the here and now.
And that reliance on rookies stepping into big-time roles greatly reduces the team’s margin for error a month from now in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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The 49ers’ biggest weaknesses to be addressed are along the defensive line.
San Francisco released defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, and defensive end Leonard Floyd. Those moves took a 49ers weakness and made their depth chart even more thin.
Collins and Floyd started 17 games apiece. Hargrave started all 22 games in which he appeared for the 49ers, including three in the postseason.
If the 49ers were to line up for a game with the players on their current roster, their starters would be Nick Bosa and Yetur Gross-Matos at defensive end and Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens at the tackle positions.
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The 49ers need defensive linemen right now, and this year’s draft is about their only opportunity to add significant contributors.
Perhaps, the deep and talented draft class of defensive linemen likely shaped the team’s offseason strategy. After all, the 49ers’ only offseason move along the defensive front has been to re-sign Givens to a one-year contract.
Lynch said the 49ers were determined to trim salary-cap costs and get younger. The addition of a potential 11-player draft class can help the 49ers meet both of those goals.
With four picks in the top 100 and eight total within the first 160 selections in the draft, the 49ers will have plenty of opportunities to add starters and backups to their defensive line.
The 49ers used last year’s draft to pick up the slack for some of this year’s departing veteran players.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was chosen a year ahead of Deebo Samuel’s departure to the Washington Commanders in a trade. Cornerback Renardo Green is slated to move into the spot vacated with Charvarius Ward signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
Guard Dominick Puni was drafted with the idea of Aaron Banks signing elsewhere as a free agent. He did. Banks now is with Green Bay, and Puni earned a spot as a rookie starter on the right side.
Safety Malik Mustapha was chosen in the fourth round as Talanoa Hufanga entered his final year. He signed with Denver. And running back Isaac Guerendo, a fourth-round pick, allowed the 49ers to deal backup Jordan Mason to Minnesota.
The 49ers’ list of scheduled free agents for 2026 is not nearly as extensive.
The team has plans this offseason to sign quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle to extensions that will lock them into multi-year deals. The only other starters who are scheduled to enter the final years of their contracts are wide receiver Jauan Jennings and right tackle Colton McKivitz.
Wide receiver and offensive line are two spots the 49ers can address in this year’s draft with an eye to the future.