The 2025 NFL Draft offered the ability for the San Francisco 49ers to revamp their roster after a disappointing 2024 season in which they finished with a 6-11 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Finishing last place within the NFC West, there were a number of things that further went south for the Niners. Seeing several players leave in free agency and via releases created needs and holes on the roster.
Specifically for the defensive line, veterans Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins were released for cash-saving measures.
Thus, why it made sense for the team to select defensive tackle Mykel Williams out of Georgia with the 11th overall pick.
49ers will regret not drafting DE Jordan Burch
In the third round, San Francisco selected linebacker Nick Martin out of Oklahoma State with the 75th overall pick. Then, 38 spots later, the 49ers took another defensive tackle, C.J. West from Indiana University.
That gave returning coordinator Robert Saleh a total of three rookies to help complement that depleted side of the ball.
However, there's one prospect the Niners may have been smarter to grab.
With the 78th pick in the NFL Draft, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound edge defender went to a division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, who selected Jordan Burch two picks after Martin.
Not only didthe Cardinals beat San Francisco twice last season, but they also finished with a better record. The red birds already boast the likes of Justin Jones, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Baron Browning, and Mack Wilson, Jr. on defense before Burch's arrival, and now they get a potentially potent piece to their pass rush.
The former Oregon Duck was named to the All-Big Ten third team last season, and in the 10 games he played in during his senior year, Burch recorded 8.5 sacks.
Burch is a tall, gifted, and agile player for his size. That caliber of player would have offset the losses of Hargrave and Collins, and it would have further reinforced the 49ers' own pass rush.
While Martin is a solid pick, seeing a stud like Burch now play against you twice a year will have the Niners kicking themselves for not taking the former Duck.