The San Francisco 49ers utilized their draft capital in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing in eight new players between Rounds 1 and 5 before selecting another three in the final round.
With 11 new additions vying for placement on the Niners’ 53-man roster, not all current players are safe. Arguably the only ones who are untouchable are wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle, mainly due to the lucrative contract extensions they both received in the last nine-month period.
Others are relatively safe, sure, including quarterback Brock Purdy. But, in light of San Francisco’s cost-cutting measures from earlier this offseason, it’s fair to assume no one is truly untouchable.
Not everyone on the 49ers’ roster has full confidence in their job security, though.
Here are three players who may be on the outside looking in before the 2025 NFL season kicks off.
1. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai
Second-year pro Tanner Mordecai was listed on the depth chart as the third-string quarterback prior the NFL Draft behind the starter, Brock Purdy, and backup Mac Jones.
With San Francisco selecting Kurtis Rourke with the 227th overall pick, Mordecai got bumped down, and now the incoming rookie from Indiana University is behind Jones and Purdy.
Rourke shined in the NCAA ranks and was the 2022 Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year Award winner. In his lone season as a Hoosier, the quarterback recorded over 3,000 passing yards, 29 touchdowns in 12 games against only five interceptions last year.
If it weren’t for a torn ACL suffered (and played through) last season, head coach Kyle Shanahan believed Rourke would have been selected much earlier than Round 7:
“I think he [Kurtis Rourke] would have gone a lot higher if he was healthy. We took him with the understanding he likely won’t be cleared until training camp, but we just felt like there was a lot of talent and ability. He plays the game the right way. You can’t have enough good quarterbacks, we wanted to add him to the mix and we were able to do it in the seventh round and were excited to do so.”
Mordecai did not cost the 49ers a draft pick to join the team last year. The Waco, Texas native was an undrafted signee in 2024.
Mordecai, a 2024 undrafted free agent, remained on the practice squad his rookie season.
If Rourke comes back healthy following his ACL injury, he may stick as the team’s third option at quarterback.
Thus, Mordecai’s days playing for San Francisco could be numbered.
2. Safety George Odum
George Odum, a seven-year veteran, is expecting to enter his fourth season with the Niners after four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Odum has never recorded more than pick off in any season thus far. In fact, he has gone more seasons without than making an interception for his team’s defense, and his impact has primarily been felt on special teams where his future could be in doubt with the arrival of new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer.
New draftees could expedite that departure, too.
Odum will turn 32 years old this season, which is comparatively ancient for defensive backs. And it appears as if the 49ers identified a possible replacement, Marques Sigle in the fifth round, who also plays safety.
Despite being a bit smaller in size than Odum, Sigle showed flashes of greatness for Kansas State during his collegiate career. In 2023, his first season as a member of the Wildcats, the Omaha, Nebraska native collected 63 tackles, nine pass deflections, as well as an interception.
If Odum falls short of Sigle during training camp or the preseason, he could be playing for another team before Week 1.
3. Defensive end Alex Barrett
Another member of the 49ers who finds himself listed as fourth on the depth chart is defensive end Alex Barrett, who has consistently hung around the practice squad but nevertheless has been retained by San Francisco in one form or another in recent years. Given he has just three seasons of NFL experience, you would think this player is young.
Barrett turned 31 years old back in March, though. He took the field for two games with the Detroit Lions during the 2017 season, but the former San Diego State Aztec didn’t play a regular-season snap again until 2020 after the Niners acquired him, appearing in only three more games since.
He recorded just eight total tackles in those 12 games. Barrett is not expected to sniff leapfrogging first-round rookie Mykel Williams or even older veterans like Yetur Gross-Matos, and Sam Okuayinonu.
That means the three-year veteran could be cut off the very back end of the depth chart as a result of the 49ers taking Williams with the 11th overall pick.
