The San Francisco 49ers are in an awkward position as a franchise. San Francisco parted ways with several of their veteran stars in an epic roster purge earlier this offseason. These moves were likely made to set up a potential Brock Purdy extension. The 49ers also handed out a big extension for tight end George Kittle, who is now the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.

Are the 49ers a contending team that is only a few pieces away from a Super Bowl? Or are they a rebuilding team that is about to extend a franchise quarterback on a long-term extension?

These questions make it difficult to judge who the 49ers think they are and what they’re looking to accomplish over the next few seasons.

As a result, it is even trickier to make sense of how San Francisco ought to approach their roster construction. This is especially apparent after the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 49ers did a solid job of adding a mix of player that will both help them in 2025 and who could become long-term pieces to build around.

However, no draft class is perfect. Credit where it is due to 49ers GM John Lynch, he had a solid draft. But there were a few areas where San Francisco could have done better.

Below we will explore three of the biggest mistakes the 49ers made during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Was Mykel Williams worth of the 11th overall pick?

The 49ers made an exciting pick in the first round, grabbing edge rusher Mykel Williams to pair with Nick Bosa.

I want to start by saying that I am a fan of this pick. Williams is one edge rusher I was very fond of in the pre-draft process. When I saw him go off the board at 11th overall, it did not feel like that much of a reach. In fact, I love the fit with the 49ers.

Despite this, I still think the 49ers could have used the 11th overall pick to add more value to the team.

It may not be fair, but there is on critique I can throw at almost any team between picks 11 and 25. Both the Giants and Falcons were desperate to trade back up into the first round. The Giants moved up to grab Jaxson Dart and the Falcons did so for James Pearce Jr.

It takes two to tango, so I understand that it wasn’t guaranteed that San Fran could have traded down with either team. But it would have certainly been a better move.

I would have also like to see the 49ers go after one of a few different players who ended up being first-round picks. Those include G Tyler Booker (12th overall), DT Walter Nolen (16th overall), and DB Jahdae Barron (20th overall).

San Fran could have wait on DT, grabbed a better player in the second round

It is easy to understand why the 49ers drafted Alfred Collins in the second round.

Collins is a versatile interior defender who has the flexibility to play a little bit on the edge as well. He is big and physical, which in theory will command attention from opposing offenses. If that happens, it will open space on the edges for Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams to win one-on-one matchups and get after the quarterback.

The 49ers also do not have many interior defenders on long-term contracts. Therefore, adding a defensive tackle in the draft was certainly a need.

The 49ers left some incredibly talented players on the board by picking Collins 43rd overall.

I would have loved to see the 49ers grab a falling talent like Michigan CB Will Johnson, who went to their division rival at the 47th overall pick. They could have also selected Benjamin Morrison or Trey Amos to fill their need at cornerback. All three of those players seem like excellent fits in San Francisco’s defense, so it is surprising to me that they weren’t selected.

The 49ers could have also addressed a need on the offensive line, grabbing someone like Anthony Belton, Ozzy Trapilo, or Tate Ratledge.

Instead, the 49ers waited until pick 100 to grab CB Upton Stout (great pick, no notes) and the seventh round to take an offensive lineman in Connor Colby.

Ultimately, I feel like the 49ers could have received adequate value and production from a different interior defender in the later rounds. For that reason alone, I can’t get behind this pick.

Nick Martin was a risky pick during the third round

The 49ers selected linebacker Nick Martin with the 75th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Let’s start by saying that Martin fills a huge need on San Fran’s defense. Dre Greenlaw left in free agency and Martin has a chance to compete for that starting spot in training camp.

However, there are a few red flags here.

Martin had a serious MCL injury that caused him to miss a big chunk of the 2024 season. He was able to participate at the NFL Combine, but it is fair to question his health situation during his rookie year.

There are also a few players I would have loved to see the 49ers add instead.

CB Shavon Revel Jr. was picked one spot after Martin and would have been an excellent addition. Revel is also an injured player (tore his ACL in September) but he has enough upside at a valuable position that he should have been the pick.

This pick will look a lot better if Martin can win, and hold down, a starting job in San Francisco.