David Lombardi’s mock draft: Predicting all 11 of the 49ers’ draft picks

Football is a young man’s sport featuring large rosters in a salary-capped league. Those are inescapable realities that the 49ers face entering this critical 2025 NFL Draft, where they own 11 picks — the most in the league.

Talent must be constantly replenished across the entire roster — not just at the positions that seem in most acute need of it. That’s something legendary coach Bill Walsh understood even before the salary cap existed. His dynastic 49ers, who won multiple Super Bowls in the 1980s, looked markedly different each time they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. And it was their roster’s third incarnation, which would win repeat titles to close the decade, that became a renowned showcase of savvy drafting.

The year was 1986. The 49ers, a full season removed from a Super Bowl run and no longer the class of a fast-moving league, badly needed a youth infusion. Walsh jettisoned aging stars Fred Dean and Dwight Hicks, and then — seeing a draft relatively short on outstanding players but loaded with serviceable talent — proceeded to revolutionize the league in yet another way.

Walsh made a staggering six trades, mostly to replace higher draft picks with more selections in the lower rounds. In his biography on Walsh, titled “The Genius”, David Harris wrote that “come draft day, the second floor at Forty Niners headquarters took on the air of a commodities market.” When the wheeling and dealing was done, the 49ers no longer owned their first-round pick, but they held 13 total selections including three in both the third and fourth rounds.

Walsh’s 1986 draft placed big bets on upside and heavy trust on the abilities of the 49ers’ assistant coaches to develop players. “Don’t worry, I’ll make him play the run,” DB coach Ray Rhodes told Walsh of third-round pick Tim McKyer, a cornerback who covered well but wasn’t a good tackler in college. The 49ers’ haul was wildly successful. It yielded the likes of Tom Rathman, John Taylor, Steve Wallace, Kevin Fagan, Larry Roberts and Don Griffin. Eight of the 49ers’ first nine picks played at least seven years in the NFL. Five became Pro Bowlers and one ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That was defensive end Charles Haley, one of the 49ers’ three fourth-round picks in 1986.

Let’s move to the present day.

Like 1986, this 2025 draft looks deep but not top heavy. However, it doesn’t seem that the 49ers will be able to trade down nearly as much simply because many other teams will likely have similar ideas. Walsh was unique in his thinking at the time, but the league has followed suit in the four decades since.

The good news for the 49ers: They’ve done well to hoard picks, both through trades (Deebo Samuel and Jordan Mason both netted them fifth-rounders) and the compensatory formula, which has yielded four of their 11 selections. Given the meatiness in the middle of this draft, general manager John Lynch seems especially happy that the 49ers own four of the first 100 picks.

Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan also have fierce trust in the developmental capabilities of their coaching staff, especially now that Robert Saleh is back aboard as defensive coordinator. He and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek were instrumental in building a monstrous front seven about five years ago. It’s fitting that Saleh has returned just as that part of the 49ers defense needs an extensive renovation.

With all that context in mind, here’s my one and only mock draft of the year (since the draft is famously unpredictable, anything beyond that is excessive guesswork). Consider this, then, to be my well-researched stab at the 49ers’ plans. To avoid rabbit holes, we’ll simply mention some trade possibilities without projecting them:

Round 1, Pick 11: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon

The 6-5 Harmon might be the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in this draft. He led the nation with 55 pressures in 2024; the next interior lineman had only 43. Harmon did miss 12 tackles and will need refinement against the run, but Lynch trusts the word of Oregon coach Dan Lanning — with whom he dined following the Ducks’ pro day in March. Harmon was undoubtedly a topic of conversation. Might the 49ers be able to trade a few spots down and still land him? Maybe, but remember that it takes two to tango on the trade market.

Round 2, Pick 43: OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota

This 6-6, 331-pounder dominated in a zone-heavy college offense, which is music to Shanahan’s ears. Since Ersery didn’t play football until his sophomore year in high school, there may also still be developmental upside here. The 49ers’ thinking might change if premier offensive tackles Will Campbell or Armand Membou are available at No. 11, but that’s unlikely. Ersery, perhaps after a trade up, seems like a more realistic bet for a 49ers team that must think about succession plans for current starting tackles Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz.

Round 3, Pick 75: WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford

There’s still meat on the bone in this wideout’s development — and there’s already plenty of juice on his résumé. In 2023, Ayomanor racked up 294 receiving yards working primarily against future Heisman Trophy winner and presumptive first-round pick Travis Hunter. He’s a physical, 6-2 target who loves to block — which is key for the 49ers, who can use another wideout. Another option would be Washington State’s Kyle Williams, although 49ers fans may cringe when hearing that name.

Round 3, Pick 100: DT Darius Alexander, Toledo

Senior Bowl standouts have consistently intrigued the 49ers. Alexander is one of them. He’s still developing as a pass rusher, but impressive 40-yard dash (4.95) and 10-yard split (1.71) times show up on the 305-pound Alexander’s tape in the form of rangy run defense. This strength against the ground game, where the 49ers have struggled, would pair well with Harmon’s pass-rushing prowess.

Round 4, Pick 113: OL Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech

Rogers put up 406 pounds on the power clean and 600 pounds on the squat rack. In summary: He’s powerful. The 49ers could use O-linemen with strong anchors in front of quarterback Brock Purdy. Although Rogers played mostly tackle in college, he projects as an NFL guard. But the 49ers need at least depth at both spots, and the fact Rogers started at four different positions in college is a big plus.

Round 4, Pick 138: LB Kain Medrano, UCLA

Medrano and Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. were the two linebackers the 49ers hosted on top-30 visits. Both are slightly undersized but very fast. Medrano takes the cake when it comes to speed: His 4.46 40-yard dash and 1.52 10-yard split times were both best of all linebacker prospects. Medrano will need to clean up his tackling, but the 49ers have a superb track record when it comes to developing fast linebackers.

Round 5, Pick 147: DE Elijah Roberts, SMU

This could represent excellent value in the fifth round. Roberts was productive in college, registering 18 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over his two seasons as a starter for SMU. He also features above-average speed metrics despite his 285-pound frame, which is unconventionally large for a modern edge rusher. Roberts packs strength into that body that can also be valuable against the run.

Round 5, Pick 160: TE Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech

On the note of unconventional size, the 260-pound Conyers brings it to the tight end position. He was even larger earlier in his college career. Still, Conyers is explosive enough to get open — measured by his vertical and broad jumps, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle splits — and definitely big enough to block.

Round 7, Pick 227: QB Max Brosmer, Minnesota

He’s a crisp intermediate passer and there’s a spot open in a 49ers’ QB room consisting of Purdy, Mac Jones, and Tanner Mordecai. The team has typically carried four players here. If Shanahan likes how Brosmer plays the position — and he’s certainly seen a lot of him while studying his teammate Ersery’s tape — this could be a late-round play.

Round 7, Pick 249: CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas

The 49ers have a type at cornerback. They want aggressive and physical players with a “dog mentality” — and Bryant certainly fits that bill. He racked up an impressive 13 career college interceptions. He isn’t the fastest cornerback and will likely have to add some muscle to withstand the NFL’s rigors, but that’s why Bryant should be available late in the draft.

Round 7, Pick 252: RB Corey Kiner, Cincinnati

Kiner also isn’t a physical standout. He’s just shy of 5-9 and managed just a 4.57-second 40-yard dash. But he’s undeniably hard to tackle, and sometimes the traits of a good runner defy combine testing metrics. Kiner forced 84 missed tackles in 2024, one of the best marks in the nation.