With a need to continue building their defensive line depth, the San Francisco 49ers will have an opportunity in the following 2025 NFL Draft. Our team has been through a lot of defensive trauma the past few seasons. Hear that? Now, they’re finally willing to address the huge roster holes that have been biting them since 2017. During that stretch, the 49ers had four sub-.500 seasons. Their sack totals ranged from 30 to 37, showing a desperate lack of difference makers.
The 49ers have made it clear they want a new and improved defensive front. They used their other first-round pick from their 2020 trade of DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts on defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. For Kinlaw, he has not formally cemented a spot on the team. To address this challenge and more, the 49ers implemented this strategy. They inked defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million contract in 2023. Even with that acquisition, the team failed to add any outside free agents or trades this offseason into bolstering their defensive line. Their only big man move was re-signing rotational tackle Kevin Givens.
This proved a serious Achilles’ heel for the 49ers’ run defense, particularly as they neared Super Bowl LVIII. These problems would go on to haunt them the entirety of last season. Last year, they ranked 28th in expected points added on defensive rush plays. This shocking statistic further points to the critical need for improved federal performance on this issue.
Here’s how 49ers’ general manager John Lynch owned the team’s draft strategy after the 2023 draft, saying,
“We’ve got 11 draft choices, we’ve got to make ’em count and I think probably more so than recent past.”
This sentiment reflects the team’s proactive approach towards addressing their roster needs and making impactful selections during the draft.
Since that season, head coach Kyle Shanahan has championed what makes a great defensive line indispensable to the 49ers’ success. He noted,
“What’s got us close always starts with the D-line, that’s something we’re always looking to build and when you can’t have it that way, we’re going to still be working to try to find to get it that way.”
The need for a solid defensive line is evident not just in Shanahan’s statements but in the organization’s historical emphasis on this position since Lynch and Shanahan took charge in 2017. The 49ers have for years made fortifying their defensive front a top priority, and that’s served as the backbone to everything else they like to do defensively.
During the press conference, Shanahan went into greater detail about the challenges the team had with retaining players and making roster moves.
“We let go of some guys who can still play and who are really good dudes who we wish we still could have, but that’s how this league is. We’ve been fortunate to be able to re-sign a number of our players we’ve drafted, but you can’t always do that forever, and all those decisions with the D-line that kind of tied together with everything.”
In looking back on the success of others, Shanahan admitted that lofty expectations make it tough to continue to keep a deep roster of talent.
“I think we all got a little spoiled in ’19, when you have one of the best D-lines in the history of football, that’s very hard to maintain.”
The team has been rightfully proud of spending years creating a deep, talented defensive line. They are well aware that it will be an uphill battle to stay this good. It continues to be their major priority as they enter the draft.
As they head into the 2025 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves with a pivotal opportunity to reshape their defensive line. They’re armed with a lot of impressive draft capital. Armed with an unmistakable mandate to bolster this essential position group, they’re prepared to execute some truly meaningful enhancements.
“We’ve always prided ourselves with D-line and I think it’s a solid D-line class in this year’s draft and it’s deep too.”
As they head into the 2025 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves with a pivotal opportunity to reshape their defensive line. With multiple draft choices at their disposal and a clear vision for strengthening this vital position group, they are poised to make significant improvements.
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