The 49ers have a few holes for 2025. We all hope and believe in the John Lynch brain trust (and 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft) that those holes will get filled. There is little room for error (something we wind up saying every year lately).

Over at NFL.com, Eric Edholm had the 49ers trying to fill two holes by selecting Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker in his recent mock draft. Walker has been steadily rising draft boards, primarily as an edge rusher. He does have versatility, or at least showed that in college:

The 49ers are now without LB Dre Greenlaw and edge Leonard Floyd; technically, Walker can help at both spots. Finding his exact role and position will be key, but the dynamic Georgia defender can be a traditional off-ball linebacker on typical run downs and rush the quarterback in passing situations.

I’d love for Jalon Walker to be a hybrid player—it sounds great in theory. Put him opposite Nick Bosa on passing downs, then drop him back with Fred Warner on early downs. Georgia’s defense was versatile, running a 3-4 base with some 4-3 looks and plenty of nickel and dime sub-packages.

But here’s the problem: the NFL is hard. Asking a rookie to learn two positions while transitioning to a new defensive scheme is a tall order. There have been success stories but also plenty of failures.

A perfect example? The 49ers’ 3-4 defense under Jim Harbaugh. In 2011, they drafted Aldon Smith, and he thrived as both a defensive end and a stand-up pass rusher. But then there’s Tank Carradine, a 4-3 defensive end forced into a 3-4 role—and he never found his footing.

That’s the risk with Walker. The jump from a 3-4 college scheme to the 49ers’ system isn’t seamless, and expecting him to master both positions in Year 1 is a huge gamble.

Now, if the 49ers commit to Walker as a full-time edge opposite Bosa and don’t overcomplicate his role? That’s great. But he’s also a tweener—too small to be a true defensive end, yet undersized for an every-down linebacker.

And let’s be honest: after getting burned by drafting for potential (cough Trey Lance cough), do we trust the 49ers to develop a hybrid player properly? If they have a clear plan for Walker, I’m on board. But if they’re drafting him without a defined role, I’d be skeptical about whether he’d have one.