{"id":30775,"date":"2025-02-02T00:13:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T00:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=30775"},"modified":"2025-02-02T00:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T00:13:32","slug":"insider-reveals-49ers-draft-strategy-with-11th-overall-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=30775","title":{"rendered":"Insider Reveals 49ers Draft Strategy with 11th Overall Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kyle-Shanahan-e1738439116880.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kyle-Shanahan-e1738439116880.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kyle-Shanahan-e1738439116880.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Kyle-Shanahan-e1738439116880.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Insider Reveals 49ers Draft Strategy with 11th Overall Pick\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco 49ers&#8217; head coach Kyl Shanahan looks on during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The<\/span> San Francisco 49ers <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> have a busy offseason ahead. They must negotiate a lucrative contract extension with Brock Purdy, and knowing the team\u2019s propensity to let things linger, it could take a while. San Francisco <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">also needs to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> decide the future of 24 impending agents, including linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga. The 49ers have <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">already<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> nailed the offseason thus far by reuniting with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and hiring Brant Boyer as special teams coordinator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yet, the most important choice San Francisco will make is with the 10 selections they are scheduled to have in the 2025 NFL Draft. This year is the first time since 2021 that the team has picked just outside the top ten. Possessing the 11th overall pick following a 6-11 record, mostly marred by injuries, the 49ers can give their roster a necessary jolt of energy. But, questions remain as to what they will do with such a high pick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Will head coach Kyle Shanahan continue hoarding offensive weapons <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in hopes of creating<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> an unparalleled offense? Or does the return of Robert Saleh shift their draft focus to the defensive side of the first round for the first time since 2020?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One analyst believes he has the answers to the San Francisco 49ers draft blueprint.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>49ers\u2019 2025 Draft Strategy<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the latest rendition of his<\/span> \u2018 Winter Mailbag \u2019 for the San Francisco Standard, Tim Kawakami <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> shares insights into the 49ers draft strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When asked if the 49ers will draft a tackle to play on the right side and then inevitably replace Trent Williams<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Kawakami answered candidly<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">f Shanahan and [John] Lynch fall in love with an OT <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">who\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> available at No. 11, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they\u2019ll<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> take him, plop him at RT, and consider him a long-range LT for whenever Williams retires. But <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they\u2019ve<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> been very clear \u2014 to take an offensive lineman that high, it has to be a slam-dunk guy, somebody like Penei Sewell (seventh in 2021) or Joe Alt (fourth in 2024).<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kawakami continues,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u201c<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But those kinds of talents usually <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">aren\u2019t<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> there past the top seven or eight. Maybe if <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">LSU\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Will Campbell starts to slip, the 49ers can jump up from 11. Or if they decide that <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Texas\u2019<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Kelvin Banks Jr. is an immediate starter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Improving the offensive line is a top priority for many 49ers fans and should be near the top of the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">organization\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> list <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">as well<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> However, Kawakami sheds more light on what the 49ers will likely do with the 11th overall pick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cB<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ut more likely, the 49ers will go with their basic plan: Take somebody who can rush the passer or score touchdowns. One or the other. And the likeliest position for No. 11 in this draft seems <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">like <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it\u2019ll<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> be [Defensive Tackle]<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>San Francisco\u2019s Draft Needs<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yes, the 49ers need to revamp the offensive line in order to correctly run <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Shanahan\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> offense and protect Brock Purdy. However, the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">49ers\u2019<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> defense needs restoration, hence the return of Saleh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Under Nick Sorensen, the 49ers saw their sack total and takeaways drop by double-digit points. Most astonishingly, San Francisco gave up nearly 125 rushing yards per game this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With Saleh in 2019, the 49ers were sixth in the league in forced turnovers (27), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), first in passing defense (169.2 yards per game), and fourth in sacks (48). During <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Saleh\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> four-year tenure, San <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Francisco\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> run defenses never allowed more than 116 yards per game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A big reason for <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Saleh\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> success was the 49ers star-level personnel at defensive tackle. The 2019 <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was stacked<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> with talent such as perennial Pro Bowl candidate DeForest Buckner, double-digit sack-getter Arik Armstead, and consistent starter D.J Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If Shanahan desires to see a resurgence for the defense, giving Saleh the tools to succeed is <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a must<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. According to <\/span>Pro Football Focus <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, the top defensive tackle prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft are <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Michigan\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen from Ole Miss, and Ohio <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">State\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Tyleik Williams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As Kawakami alludes to, expect one of the listed players to be dawning Red and Gold in 2025, barring the fall of a top-tier tackle in the NFL Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sterling Bennett is a Heavy.com contributor covering the NFL. He has half a decade of experience as a sports broadcaster at 95.7 The Game covering the San Francisco 49ers as part of the weekly &#8220;Overtime&#8221; show, where he covered Super Bowl 58. Bennett was the Golden State Warriors Network Coordinator from 2020-2024, where he was responsible for all gameday radio broadcasts, including the 2022 NBA Finals. More about Sterling Bennett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The most important choice the San Francisco 49ers will make is with the 10 selections they are scheduled to have in the 2025 NFL Draft, including the 11th overall pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":30778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Insider Reveals 49ers Draft Strategy with 11th Overall Pick - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=30775\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Insider Reveals 49ers Draft Strategy with 11th Overall Pick - 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