SANTA CLARA — The 49ers counted on the NFL Draft to deliver defensive reinforcements, and they came day after day after day.
In a sentimental storyline for the 49ers Faithful, the only other draft in which the 49ers used their top five picks on defensive players was in 1981, leading into their first Super Bowl-winning season. Well, the Arizona Cardinals did the same thing this past week, so maybe it’s not such an anomaly.
After March’s mass exodus of over 20 players, the 49ers had to “recalibrate” with a handful of budget-friendly free agents and an 11-man draft class that is the largest in nine years of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era.
Those draft picks, along with six undrafted free agents and other tryout guys, will be in town next week for a rookie minicamp. Meanwhile, the voluntary offseason program wraps up Phase 1’s strength and conditioning this week before coaches are allowed on the field next week.
Here is a look at how the first defensive depth chart looks, after an earlier glimpse at the offense:
DEFENSIVE LINE
DE Nick Bosa: 2019 1st round
DE Mykel Williams: 2025 1st round
DT Alfred Collins: 2025 2nd round
DT Jordan Elliott: 2024 free agent
DE Yetur Gross-Matos: 2024 free agent
DT C.J. West: 2025 4th round
DT Kevin Givens: 2019 free agent
DE Sam Okuayinonu: 2024 free agent
DE Robert Beal Jr.: 2023 5th round
DT Evan Anderson: 2024 free agent
DT Kalia Davis: 2022 6th round
DE Drake Jackson: 2022 2nd round
DE Tarron Jackson: 2024 free agent
DE Jonathan Garvin: 2024 free agent
DE Alex Barrett: 2019 free agent
DT Sebastian Valdez: 2025 free agent
Key departures: Leonard Floyd (Falcons), Javon Hargrave (Vikings), Maliek Collins (Browns)
Analysis: The 49ers are banking on Williams, Collins and West to make an immediate impact as rookies, in place of 2024 opening-game starters Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave, and Maliek Collins. Gross-Matos is favorably viewed with versatility that Williams also boasts as their first-round pick. Fortifying this front is imperative to fixing the run defense, not to mention finding others beyond Bosa who are reliably capable of harassing quarterbacks. Jackson has missed the past 1 1/2 seasons, so his comeback is a wild card.
LINEBACKER
Fred Warner: 2018 3rd round
Nick Martin: 2025 3rd round
Dee Winters: 2023 6th round
Luke Gifford: 2025 free agent
Curtis Robinson: 2021 free agent
Jalen Graham: 2023 7th round
Tatum Bethune: 2024 7th round
DaShaun White: 2024 free agent
Stone Blanton: 2025 free agent
Key departures: Dre Greenlaw (Broncos), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Giants)
Analysis: Warner isn’t holding out for an extension but that issue won’t magically vanish for the 49ers’ front office. The hope is that Martin’s run-and-hit style will mirror Dre Greenlaw’s. Winters isn’t out of the mix if he can overcome his 2024 inconsistency. Don’t overlook Gifford’s arrival, even though he’s mostly been a special-teams asset. Robinson is coming off ACL reconstruction. The undrafted Blanton could be up for the challenge after playing SEC football for South Carolina and then Mississippi State.
CORNERBACK
Deommodore Lenoir: 2021 5th round
Renardo Green: 2024 2nd round
Upton Stout: 2025 3rd round
Tre Brown: 2025 free agent
Siran Neal: 2025 free agent
Chase Lucas: 2024 free agent
Darrell Luter: 2023 5th round
Tre Tomlinson: 2025 waivers
Tre Avery: 2024 waivers
Jakob Robinson: 2025 free agent
Key departures: Charvarius Ward (Colts), Isaac Yiadom (Saints), Rock Ya-Sin (Lions)
Analysis: Stout enters the mix as a feisty nickel back comparable to former 49ers standout K’Waun Williams. Green has the inside track on replacing Charvarius Ward as the starter opposite Ward
SAFETY
Ji’Ayir Brown: 2023 3rd round
Jason Pinnock: 2025 free agent
Malik Mustapha: 2024 4th round
George Odum: 2024 free agent
Richie Grant: 2025 free agent
Marques Sigle: 2025 5th round
Jaylen Mahoney: 2024 free agent
Quindell Johnson: 2025 free agent
Key departures: Talanoa Hufanga (Broncos)
Analysis: Mustapah learned days after last season that he tore the ACL in his right knee for the second time in three years, so his sophomore season surely will be delayed. With that news dropping after the draft, it makes sense why the 49ers signed veteran starters Pinnock (Giants) and Grant (Falcons) in free agency. Brown needs a bounce-back year after a shaky 2024.
SPECIALISTS
K Jake Moody: 2023 3rd round
P Mitch Wishnowsky: 2019 4th round
LS Jon Weeks: 2025 free agent
Key departures: LS Taybor Pepper (free agent)
Analysis: With a new coordinator in Brant Boyer and a new long snapper in Weeks, the 49ers still are expected to bring in a new kicker to force Moody to compete for his embattled job. Junior Bergen, the 49ers’ 11th and final draft pick at No. 249, comes in to try unseating Jacob Cowing as the 49ers’ return specialist; Bergen returned eight punts for touchdowns at Montana, including three on just 10 returns last season. The NFL’s revised-again kickoff rules put more onus on a playmaker, and the 49ers don’t have Deebo Samuel to deploy in the clutch.
