The 49ers opted not to take a tight end in a deep NFL Draft class, which doesn't jive with what Kyle Shanahan used to do in previous years.
One of the major strengths behind an otherwise weak 2025 NFL Draft class was just how many quality tight ends there were.
For years, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sought a quality tight end to pair with the perennial Pro Bowler, George Kittle, yet those efforts almost always came up short.
So, it made more than enough sense for the Niners to take advantage of this year's class and grab a tight end to develop behind Kittle, possibly serving as an immediate pass-catching backup with long-term prospectus of eventually replacing the aging fan-favorite who is now on the wrong side of 30 years old.
Kittle's ongoing contract-extension talks certainly muddied the waters, too.
San Francisco passed on tight ends, though, even Penn State's Tyler Warren when he was on the board at No. 11 overall. Granted, the 49ers had more pressing needs, especially on defense, and that's precisely the direction Shanahan and Co. went with the majority of their picks.
Is Kyle Shanahan straying from wanting 2 top tight ends?
The Niners didn't wholly ignore the position this offseason, spending good money on blocking tight end Luke Farrell, who came over as a free agent from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Behind Kittle and Farrell, though, San Francisco is effectively looking at Brayden Willis and Jake Tonges, two unproven options who have a long way to go before making much of a difference.
True, Kittle is still playing at an elite level, and signs point to him eventually signing an extension to stay in the Bay Area for a long time.
But, perhaps Shanahan is no longer putting a priority on two tight ends as an offensive deployment scheme.
It's possible the 49ers were considering adding a tight end earlier, but the draft board just didn't fall to them the right way to make such a thing happen. Plus, those other needs matter.
However, it's interesting to see this once frequently talked-about approach apparently come to an end with the 2025 draft.