The San Francisco 49ers went with a different offseason approach this spring, electing to stay away from the free agent market and instead put their effort into development with 11 draft picks.
San Francisco was bound to have a ‘reset’ year at some point, given the number of top-tier contracts they had shelled out. But, they were also going to continue forward with several All-Pros on the roster, which automatically puts efforts to contention on a year-to-year basis.
So, if the 49ers were to shed money in the offseason and not sign marquee free agents, that meant they needed to hit on draft picks early.
In 2022 and 2023, that was a major struggle for the 49ers, as both draft classes have been largely unsuccessful, apart from the Brock Purdy selection. But, in 2024, San Francisco found starters in wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, cornerback Renardo Green, right guard Dominick Puni, and safety Malik Mustapha, who each saw development through the end of the season.
San Francisco had the opportunity to select high in 2025, and its offseason gamble to rely on rookies is starting to pay off. First-round defensive lineman Mykel Williams has been a Day 1 starter, and his impact has primarily been seen as a run-defender early on. Seen as a developmental player with a high floor and a high ceiling coming out of the draft, the former has been there, while glimpses of the latter are starting to show.
Then, there’s second-round pick Alfred Collins, who was written off early after a slow start in the offseason. But, he was the savior in Week 5, forcing a fumble on Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams at the two-yard line with 1:07 to go. That proved to be a game-changer, as Los Angeles could’ve easily had a touchdown there, but the game ultimately went to overtime, with the 49ers winning 26-23.
San Francisco’s third-round pick Upton Stout had a key pass breakup in the team’s 16-15 Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, forcing an incompletion on third down to give the 49ers the ball back for a game-winning field goal.
And fifth-round pick Marques Sigle has been thrown into the fire immediately, going through his ups and downs at safety, especially in coverage. But, he was among those who rallied to the ball for a major stop on 4th & 1 in overtime to seal the game for San Francisco.
In the past, the 49ers haven’t seen as many early contributions from that many players in their rookie class. But, in need of production from younger players, San Francisco has seen its offseason gamble pay off en route to a 4-1 start.
“We knew since [the] end of free agency that we would have to depend on a lot of draft picks to come in and play,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday after the win. “So, we knew we had to hit on the right guys with that and we really felt good about these guys. As soon as we got them in the draft, we felt good. And they’ve been this way since OTAs when they came in right away.
“For them to get out there, and we knew we were going to be in this position, but the fact that they’re out there and they’ve worked to stay in this position, they’ve worked to be healthy. Even though you know you have to play the rookies, if they’re not ready, you’re still going to play someone behind them. You’re still going to put someone ahead of them. They do need to earn that spot. And they did.
“That’s kind of allowed them just to be out there and get this experience and go through all this stuff because when you’re made of the right stuff as a football player, the more you play, the better you get. So, for those guys to be in this situation, to be able to stay healthy, to be able to work through all these ups and downs is very beneficial to them and it’ll be beneficial to our team as [the] year goes and into the future.”
Now, the expectations aren’t significantly high for the 49ers in 2025, as they’ve been in past seasons. But, they’ve shown a knack for winning tight, one-score games, which wasn’t there in 2024. And that has led them atop the NFC West after five weeks, despite facing a plethora of injuries to key starters.
San Francisco will get talent back as the season progresses, but the development of its younger players will be paramount to the team’s success in 2025. So far, so good.
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