The San Francisco 49ers came into the 2025 NFL Draft with a plethora of needs, including defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, offensive tackle, guard, and so on. They also came to the draft loaded with 11 picks to retool their roster.
Despite their poor record in 2024, the Niners roster does not look like a team in a need of a complete retool. With All-Pros and Pro Bowlers at several key positions, the 49ers' main need in the 2025 draft was to fill the gaps with players capable of making an impact as soon as they get on the field.
To that end, San Francisco selected Mykel Williams, a defensive end from Georgia. Young yet seasoned at only 20 years old, Williams fills a major hole on the defensive line, slotting alongside All-Pro Nick Bosa to revitalize the 49ers defense back to its standard under coordinator Robert Saleh.
But the Niners have many more needs than just defensive end, and difference makers still remained on the board as the final picks of the first round ticked away.
With 10 picks remaining, the 49ers will have a chance to add more depth, but it is incredibly unlikely that they will keep all their draft picks on their eventual 53-man roster. Especially later in the draft, the players they select will be primarily backups trying to compete to survive roster cuts.
For a team with lofty ambitions (and a fairly talented roster), that just will not fly.
The Niners need to be in the business of picking up quality players at positions of need: players who can start Day 1, not players who fill out the roster.
To that end, San Francisco missed a major opportunity to trade back into the first round.
49ers should have traded back into Round 1
Due to a few surprise selections, mutliple well-regarded prospects began to slide down the draft board, including cornerback Will Johnson, a player the 49ers may regret not having selected at the 11th overall pick, linebacker Jihaad Campbell, and offensive tackle Josh Simmons, among others.
These players have concerns of their own right, particularly injuries they are recovering from, but they are also true-talent blue-chip players. Those are the players who start Day 1, but the Niners chose not to move back into Round 1 to select them. Both Campbell and Simmons were selected by the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, picks that were extremely well-received by the broader NFL punditry.
Now, with Day 2 of the draft fast approaching, San Francisco will have to contend with many other teams looking to move around and select quality players, and currently, the 49ers will be sitting behind 10 teams that also see the talent on the board. Though the Niners can attempt to move up on Day 2, they will not get the benefit of a fifth-year option on whichever player they select, nor will they have their pick of these talented players.
Given that they were willing to trade up for Mykel Williams, only to eventually select him, the decision to stay put seems even more difficult to defend.
Choosing to stay put may come back to bite them.