The 2025 Draft Thread

[Anselmheifer]

PFF has Benjamin Morrison falling to our 2nd round pick a good bit now. That could be a sneaky steal of a pick that solidifies the secondary for years.

 

[The Chump Bailey]

PFF has Benjamin Morrison falling to our 2nd round pick a good bit now. That could be a sneaky steal of a pick that solidifies the secondary for years.

That'd be incredible. I like him better than Johnson - I think he has better man cover ability than does Johnson. Not that Johnson isn't good though for sure.

 

[Commander Wraith]

skinsinparadise (and anybody else who wants to answer), if I put a gun to your head and said "THOUGH SHALT DRAFT A WEAPON IN THE 4TH ROUND!" which direction would you go.

I get BPA and all that, but I'm just going to guess, unless there is a trade down, we're going to go edge, CB or OL with our first 2 picks. Just a hunch where BPA and position value are going to intersect.

We currently don't have a 3rd. I kindof think we're going to end up with a 3rd, but I don't have a DeLorean time machine, so I'm not going to predict a trade.

I want a weapon, either RB or WR, who can stretch the field and be a threat to a defense. The place I think we'd get that would be the 4th round.

So, who's makes the most sense?

You kind of highlight the problem I have going into this draft - if we go DL and corner with our first 2 picks (a sensible guess IMO), so many quality TEs and backs are probably going to be gone, not to mention DT, IOL and receivers. Needless to say, I’m really hoping we’re able to swing a trade back.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Yes. They’ve been a little conservative for me.

We needed an established pass rusher and we’ve basically done nothing. Maybe Sweat and Mack and Reddick etc just weren’t worth it and wouldn’t actually have been that big an upgrade. At least resign Fowler then.

I just don’t see how you can basically have zero pass rush threats and go into the draft picking 29, and expect to go to the Super Bowl. Has any team ever, like, ever ever, won a Super Bowl with this little talent in terms of pass rushers? And if that’s not the goal, why give up the draft capital for lol of these trades we’ve made?

I also don’t know that I feel like we have, “plenty of picks”. Think that 3 picks in the 1st five rounds is a little rough.

I don’t hate what they’ve done. I LOVE the Tunsil trade and think that could outweigh every single other move.

I just don’t see us as a legit Super Bowl contender unless things magically come together in terms of finding some guys that can get to to QB reliably.

They were 11th in sacks last year. Lost Allen and Fowler. 13 sacks. Added 3 guys who had 13 sacks last year but are better against the run. More or less they are treading water with the pass rush from last year but improved against the run.

Especially if they add a DE in the draft, do I think its enough of a SB roster on that front? Sure, absolutely. Basically running with our current D line is treading water with the pass rush but are better against the run in theory. That's an improvement.

Still, I expect them to sign or trade for a DE and draft one. I don't think this team will be some gang busters team as to their pass rush, but they were good enough last year on that front. their run defense though was horrible last year.

 

[skinsinparadise]

skinsinparadise (and anybody else who wants to answer), if I put a gun to your head and said "THOUGH SHALT DRAFT A WEAPON IN THE 4TH ROUND!" which direction would you go.

I get BPA and all that, but I'm just going to guess, unless there is a trade down, we're going to go edge, CB or OL with our first 2 picks. Just a hunch where BPA and position value are going to intersect.

We currently don't have a 3rd. I kindof think we're going to end up with a 3rd, but I don't have a DeLorean time machine, so I'm not going to predict a trade.

I want a weapon, either RB or WR, who can stretch the field and be a threat to a defense. The place I think we'd get that would be the 4th round.

So, who's makes the most sense?

If its the 4th. Decent shot he's there. the most 15 plus runs in this group. High character. Decent hands. Used to play QB.










Maybe he's there in the 4th. But I'd guess he's gone in the 3rd. He's fun. Maybe the most eleusive back in this crop with breakawy speed. too





Tuten is all over the map in mocks, from the 3rd round to the 7th, so you got me. But he's explosive and fast and has more power than some give him credit for.

 

[Conn]

This draft is so good and deep at RB that some teams will not be able to resist double dipping. We cannot miss out on this class the way we missed on that stud TE class under Ron

 

[DWinzit]

They were 11th in sacks last year. Lost Allen and Fowler. 13 sacks. Added 3 guys who had 13 sacks last year but are better against the run. More or less they are treading water with the pass rush from last year but improved against the run.

Especially if they add a DE in the draft, do I think its enough of a SB roster on that front? Sure, absolutely. Basically running with our current D line is treading water with the pass rush but are better against the run in theory. That's an improvement.

Still, I expect them to sign or trade for a DE and draft one. I don't think this team will be some gang busters team as to their pass rush, but they were good enough last year on that front. their run defense though was horrible last year.

One note to that is the better run D should create more must throw situations for opponents. We definitely need that one more top flight rush end/edge. That's why it is the position I'd focus on early assuming they don't bring any others in via FA. I mean DQ and Whitt want that bad and are probably fairly disappointed in the focus on the run D

 

[skinsinparadise]

Watched Tahj Brooks for the first time, he reminds me a lot of the Alabama version of Brian Robinson, with maybe slightly more wiggle.

If we are waiting all the way to the 6th for the running back spot, be interesting if they went with a younger-better version of Brian Robinson. Not that even the younger version of Robinson was that hot but he was better then than now.

Monangai reminds me of the college version of Chris Rodriguez upon further watching. Not that we need another Rodriguez. I am fine with Rodriguez as is.

Etienne is a hard dude to me to gauge. His stats are pedestrian. As a back, though he has some speed-explosiveness which we need. He strikes me as a poor man's version of Giddens-Harvey. Has some fun moments, going laterally, zig, zag, stop and go like Giddens but not nearly as good as Giddens on that front. Showcases speed - works the periphery for some big plays but not in the class of Harvey.

Etienne hits me as sort a C plus back but lol he might be an improvement over what we got because he has better vision and speed than Robinson

 

[Gooseneck]

Looks like there could be a good RB at 128. We can be more flexible with our first 2 picks.

 

[burgold]

Off the top of my head, I kind of like running backs that do different things just like it's good to have a receiving corp where the players are different.

At receiver, we still need variety. We have a YAC guy (Deebo) and a 50/50 ball guy with good speed, (McLaurin [he's better than that, but for the purpose of this I'll call that his super power], and a possession guy in Noah. That's decent variety, but it's missing a blazer.

At running back, we lack variety. We have BRob who is a poor man's 3 yards and a pile of dust back. We have Chris Rodriguez, who's a 3 yards and a pile of dust back, and we have Ekeler who is a shifty back with power. It's just too much of the same. We need to add either a true scat back jitter bug or a home run lightning back to go with all our thunder.

 

[bifflog]

At running back, we lack variety. We have BRob who is a poor man's 3 yards and a pile of dust back. We have Chris Rodriguez, who's a 3 yards and a pile of dust back, and we have Ekeler who is a shifty back with power. It's just too much of the same. We need to add either a true scat back jitter bug or a home run lightning back to go with all our thunder.

I'd kinda like to get the everything guy at RB so we don't tip tendency with who is out there. Would everyone hate Hampton at 29 if we stayed put? I know about Edge and CB, but I kinda feel like I'd rather we make up Edge rush in the aggregate than RB at this point which we've been doing. CB can be had in RD 2. Am I off here?

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

This draft is so good and deep at RB that some teams will not be able to resist double dipping. We cannot miss out on this class the way we missed on that stud TE class under Ron

I have a lot more faith in Peters than Ron. But if we pass on RB, I'm predicting a meltdown on the board.

FWIW, I might be one of the people melting down. I like Robinson, but I don't think he's special. Even early in the season, I thought he did really well taking what was there. Ekler is really good, but I don't think we can count on him for 17 games.

And we don't have a receiver who can stretch the field at the moment. So, we need SOMEBODY who's a home run threat.

 

[burgold]

I'd kinda like to get the everything guy at RB so we don't tip tendency with who is out there. Would everyone hate Hampton at 29 if we stayed put? I know about Edge and CB, but I kinda feel like I'd rather we make up Edge rush in the aggregate than RB at this point which we've been doing. CB can be had in RD 2. Am I off here?

The closest we have to an everything guy right now I'd say is Ekeler.

I think you're right, but I'm not wrong either. In other words, we are missing a Christian McCaffrey/Jamyr Gibbs/Saquon Barkley type. That player would add both variety and danger to our running back room.

 

[burgold]

I'm with you Voice_of_Reason, BRob's story is excellent. As a player, he is a three yards and a pound of dust guy when he's doing well. When he gets banged up he can't even do that and he seems to get banged up by the end of each year.

I root for him because he came back from the gunshot, because he was one of the guys fighting hard on a team that quit, but he's steady more than good or great.

 

[HoggLife]

I'd kinda like to get the everything guy at RB so we don't tip tendency with who is out there. Would everyone hate Hampton at 29 if we stayed put? I know about Edge and CB, but I kinda feel like I'd rather we make up Edge rush in the aggregate than RB at this point which we've been doing. CB can be had in RD 2. Am I off here?

Hampton is the one I really really hope falls to us and we are smart enough to draft. But i think no way he makes it to 29.

 

[burgold]

I have a lot more faith in Peters than Ron. But if we pass on RB, I'm predicting a meltdown on the board.

FWIW, I might be one of the people melting down. I like Robinson, but I don't think he's special. Even early in the season, I thought he did really well taking what was there. Ekler is really good, but I don't think we can count on him for 17 games.

And we don't have a receiver who can stretch the field at the moment. So, we need SOMEBODY who's a home run threat.

It does surprise me that Peters chose to re-sign both Rodriguez and McNichols.

At the same time, it doesn't. McNichols really came through when called upon most of the time and really did more than was expected of him. Guy played hard. Rodriguez didn't get as many opportunities, but did flash some power. So, I can see rewarding these guys and thinking they can contribute. Mind you, both are probably cuttable contracts OR I could even see a scenario where BRob is the one cut and these become the cheap back ups as the third and fourth RB respectively.

I guess I'm assuming Ekeler wants to come back because you'd think he'd make his announcement by now if he was not going to.

 

[burgold]

Hampton is the one I really really hope falls to us and we are smart enough to draft. But i think no way he makes it to 29.

The NFL has switched its priorites up so much that it has gotten tough to imagine two running backs taken in the first round. On the other hand, I think Baltimore, Philly, and Tampa have shown that the days of the running back are not over so maybe running back will become the new fad?

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

It does surprise me that Peters chose to re-sign both Rodriguez and McNichols.

At the same time, it doesn't. McNichols really came through when called upon most of the time and really did more than was expected of him. Guy played hard. Rodriguez didn't get as many opportunities, but did flash some power. So, I can see rewarding these guys and thinking they can contribute. Mind you, both are probably cuttable contracts OR I could even see a scenario where BRob is the one cut and these become the cheap back ups as the third and fourth RB respectively.

I guess I'm assuming Ekeler wants to come back because you'd think he'd make his announcement by now if he was not going to.

If they draft somebody, McNichols is an easy contract to cut.

I kidof get the feeling they think cutting BRob would upset the chemistry in the locker room.

I don’t think all four RBs who are currently signed will make the roster.

It will be interesting to see if BRob struggles in preseason if they do move on from him and give one of the other RBs a chance.

 

[Boone]

Yes. They’ve been a little conservative for me.

We needed an established pass rusher and we’ve basically done nothing. Maybe Sweat and Mack and Reddick etc just weren’t worth it and wouldn’t actually have been that big an upgrade. At least resign Fowler then.

I just don’t see how you can basically have zero pass rush threats and go into the draft picking 29, and expect to go to the Super Bowl. Has any team ever, like, ever ever, won a Super Bowl with this little talent in terms of pass rushers? And if that’s not the goal, why give up the draft capital for lol of these trades we’ve made?

I also don’t know that I feel like we have, “plenty of picks”. Think that 3 picks in the 1st five rounds is a little rough.

I don’t hate what they’ve done. I LOVE the Tunsil trade and think that could outweigh every single other move.

I just don’t see us as a legit Super Bowl contender unless things magically come together in terms of finding some guys that can get to to QB reliably.Lot

Lot of fair points here. I think you are definitely correct that many of the moves they have made are motivated by having found themselves in the Super Bowl 'window' much more quickly than maybe anyone could've hoped for. You also aren't wrong that it's hard to find a lot of Super Bowl winners who couldn't effectively pass rush (although I suspect there have been exceptions, I'm just too lazy to go looking for them, lol...).

But I think we need to understand it is literally not possible to get better everywhere all at once. As fans, we always expect this, and it's not possible. We can't know what they have *tried* to do - perhaps edge rusher was their top priority in free agency and they just weren't able to pull it off? But regardless of where we feel we've upgraded and where we feel we haven't, it is going to take time, perhaps 2-3 seasons, to really build a roster where we have no glaring holes. That doesn't mean they won't try to get to a Super Bowl in the meantime, but it will be harder until we address some glaring issues.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I am not sleeping on Egbuka being the pick. He might fall that far down. Feels like a perfect Peters pick. High floor WR, who would likely contribute right away. Really good blocker. High intangibles -- Terry level high.

I know the draft to need thought is it has to be edge. But maybe I am in the minority but I don't see D line as the ticking time bomb with this team -- worse case we got a run stuffing D line potentially right now but lacking pass rushing juice.

But if Terry gets hurt or Lattimore is for real who we saw at the end of the year then to me the ticking time bombs might be WR and CB where the wheels can fall off. Some say well look we made due with a motley crew of miscasts at Z-slot and can do it again. I agree we can do it again but only if Terry stays healthy. If Terry is out, we are screwed. Many teams don't have that problem -- yeah they are worse if their 1 is out, but many have better #2's than we do, or if not a stud TE.

And this isn't my way of saying the need for a WR >> DE. I don't feel that way at all. I am with the conventional thinking on that. But my point is WR isn't crazy, especially Egbuka.

I thought about Luther Burden, too. i am higher on Egbuka. But I see some logic in Burden, too. He would create even more chaos with slants-backfield motion. Him and Deebo would be a handful. Same reason why I wouldn't rule out Skattebo as the RB. SF team building style is to double down on players stylstically to build an identity. Skattebo and Deebo would certainly be an indentity combination.