49ers 53-man roster projection 1.0: Where their 17 rookies fit in

The NFL Draft confirmed it. The 49ers are indeed replicating the Rams’ formula as they renovate their languishing defense.

After purging veteran defenders without signing replacements to begin the offseason, the 49ers just opened the rookie replenishment floodgates. They drafted three defensive linemen with their first four picks and directly mirrored Los Angeles by grabbing an end and a tackle in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively.

So, now that we’ve verified the 49ers’ strategic direction, what comes next?

Last season’s Rams, amazingly, saw 14 rookies make the 53-man roster. Nine of L.A.’s 10 draftees survived the cut, as did five undrafted free agents. (Even more astoundingly, the Rams entered training camp with 36 total rookies on their 90-man roster.)

The 49ers won’t approach that grand total — the team just complemented its 11-player draft class by signing six undrafted free agents, bringing its total to 17 rookies with one roster spot still open. But 17 is still a healthy amount, especially considering the fact that an unusually large portion of that group should make the 53-man roster — and many of the youngsters are in line for starting jobs.

Over the past three years, an average of five rookies have made the 49ers’ cut. Here in 2025, there’s a chance that number hits 10. And at least on paper, five of their defensive draftees appear to have a legitimate shot at Day 1 starting jobs. That would exceed the 2024 Rams, who saw three rookies — defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske and safety Kamren Kinchens — start.

The following initial 53-man projection illustrates how this 49ers’ youth movement might work in practice as the roster shapes up over the coming months. Rookie additions are italicized.

Projected qualifiers (3): Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Tanner Mordecai

Others: Kurtis Rourke (Injured reserve)

The 49ers saw a potentially major value play in the seventh round with Rourke, who’s recovering from ACL surgery (he threw 29 touchdowns to only five interceptions while playing on a torn ACL at Indiana last season). Coach Kyle Shanahan believes Rourke would’ve been selected much earlier in the draft if he was healthy.

“Just loved his size, loved how he throws, loved how he plays the position,” Shanahan said.

It’s very possible and maybe even likely that Rourke effectively redshirts this season on injured reserve. The 49ers, no strangers to the necessity of QB depth, are happy to have another asset at the most important position under contract for four years.

Projected qualifiers (4): Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James, Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)

Others: Patrick Taylor Jr., Corey Kiner, Israel Abanikanda

James didn’t fumble a single time in his college career at Oregon. That, combined with his reliable showings in pass protection and bruising running style, makes for a high-floor backup — exactly what the 49ers need behind McCaffrey and Guerendo. Kiner, an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati, has a similar profile to James: Although he didn’t test well athletically, Kiner showed real running skill in forcing 84 missed tackles last season — one of the best marks in college football. Beating out Taylor and Abanikanda can, at the very least, secure Kiner a practice squad spot.

Notably, 49ers director of player personnel Tariq Ahmad said James’ burst was much more impressive in person than on tape. The team got a close look at the running back when a large scouting contingent attended Oregon’s pro day in March.

Projected qualifiers (5): Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing

Others: Brandon Aiyuk (physically unable to perform list — PUP), Isaiah Neyor, Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Russell Gage, Trent Taylor

The 49ers like Watkins beyond his 4.37 speed.

“I thought he was one of the better route runners at the Combine, just with natural receiver skills,” Shanahan said. “You watch his hands, he was our best graded-out guy going through the gauntlet (a Combine drill) with just true natural hands.”

Keep an eye out for Neyor. A prominent draft analyst said the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder — who ran a 4.40 40-yard dash and posted a 38-inch vertical leap — is arguably the most physically gifted athlete in the 2025 draft class. A knee injury and inconsistency left Neyor undrafted, but there’s real potential with him and Owens, the second-year son of Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens.

The 49ers, with Aiyuk possibly not ready for Week 1 and with Robinson potentially facing a suspension stemming from a December DUI arrest, might have natural early opportunities for extra receivers. That’s also why we shouldn’t forget that veteran Amari Cooper remains a free agent.

Projected qualifiers (4): George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges, Brayden Willis

Others: Mason Pline

This was the only position where the 49ers didn’t add a rookie. However, they did welcome a tight end into the building during the draft. Kittle reported for voluntary workouts just a couple days after his absence from the start of the offseason program — even though it wasn’t contract-related — had caused some commotion on social media.

It turns out that there was no real drama. Expect Kittle to again become the game’s highest-paid tight end at some point this offseason, perhaps — and this is merely an educated guess — by way of a three-year agreement worth around $60 million.

Projected qualifiers (8): LT Trent Williams, LG Ben Bartch, C Jake Brendel, RG Dominick Puni, RT Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford, Nick Zakelj, Connor Colby

Others: Sebastian Gutierrez, Zack Johnson, Matt Hennessy, Drew Moss, Austen Pleasants, Jalen McKenzie, Drake Nugent, Isaac Alarcón

Can Colby, a seventh-round pick out of Iowa, follow Puni’s trajectory and earn a starting spot as a rookie? The 49ers have a job to fill at left guard, where Bartch and Zakelj appear to be the leading candidates early. But Colby, a premiere athlete and four-year starter for an Iowa program that excels in developing run blockers (see Kittle), shouldn’t be counted out. The 49ers believe he would have been off the board significantly earlier in other drafts. This one was just more loaded with talent than usual.

Moss, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, also has a mean streak in the ground game. Perhaps the 49ers’ biggest unanswered roster question comes along the O-line: Who will be the swing tackle? General manager John Lynch said the 49ers wanted to draft a tackle, but no good opportunity presented itself. Burford or Pleasants are the only two rostered options. A free agent such as Jedrick Willis Jr. might pique the 49ers’ interest.

Projected qualifiers (10): Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, CJ West, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens, Sam Okuayinonu, Kalia Davis, Evan Anderson

Others: Robert Beal Jr., Drake Jackson, Sebastian Valdez, Alex Barrett, Jonathan Garvin, Tarron Jackson

Look at all the italicized names atop that 53-man projection. If all goes as plan, 75 percent of the 49ers’ starting D-line will be rookies. The commonality among Williams, Collins and West: Exemplary run defense. This is a hard pivot for the 49ers, who’d seen this foundation of their defense erode over the years while they gravitated toward adding pass-rushing specialists (see Javon Hargrave).

Now, they’re correcting course in dramatic fashion. They might even eschew a smaller speed-rushing option on many throw-heavy downs. Expect defensive line coach Kris Kocurek to mix and match Williams and Gross-Matos between the inside and outside. Games and stunts predicated on power will be the 49ers’ new go-to.

Projected qualifiers (6): Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Nick Martin, Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford, Jalen Graham

Others: Curtis Robinson, DaShaun White, Stone Blanton

How quickly can Martin, a third-round pick out of Oklahoma State, usurp Winters for the Will linebacker spot? Lynch, who wasn’t shy about comparing Martin to Dre Greenlaw during the draft, is clearly anticipating the rookie to make that move. Martin is about 10 pounds lighter than Greenlaw, but like his predecessor, he has coveted long arms. He’s one of the several small, speedy and strong “run-and-hit” defenders the 49ers drafted for their back seven.

Blanton, an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, racked up 124 tackles for the Gamecocks last year. The 49ers reportedly paid him a signing bonus of $92,000, indicating he has solid shot of at least making the practice squad.

Projected qualifiers (6): Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Tre Brown, Darrell Luter Jr., Siran Neal

Others: Tre Tomlinson, Jakob Robinson, Trey Avery, Chase Lucas

The 49ers’ goal is to allow Lenoir to focus solely on outside cornerback. That’s why the team targeted Stout, a 5-foot-8 slot specialist who put up 21 bench press reps at the Combine — the most of any defensive back. Inside corner requires both the agility to cover smaller, quicker receivers and the strength to fight through a crowded fray for run defense. Stout has the skillset for that. Fun fact: Former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh wanted him to transfer to the University of Michigan. But Stout stayed at Western Kentucky for his senior season after Harbaugh left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

At 5-foot-10, Robinson is a taller undrafted free agent out of BYU. But his frame is slighter than Stout’s (he also weights about 180 pounds), so Robinson might have to add some muscle over his first year in an NFL weight room.

Projected qualifiers (4): Ji’Ayir Brown, Jason Pinnock, Marques Sigle, Richie Grant

Others: Malik Mustapha (PUP), George Odum, Jaylen Mahoney, Quindell Johnson

The 49ers were able to keep Mustapha’s reported ACL tear, which happened in the Jan. 5 season finale, under wraps until the draft was over. This way, they didn’t tip their intentions of drafting Sigle, a Kansas State product who showed the greatest acceleration of any player at the Combine. He hit 15.13 mph at the five-yard mark of the 40-yard dash, best of any participant.

Pinnock and Grant, both added in free agency, have starting experience. So one of them will likely start to begin the season if Mustapha isn’t ready. But Sigle’s speed and cornerback background will give him the opportunity to play early, perhaps in a dime back role. In his first run with the team, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh carved that job out for former defensive back Tarvarius Moore.

Projected qualifiers (3): K Jake Moody, P Mitch Wishnowsky, LS Jon Weeks

Others: PR Junior Bergen

The son of 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer plays for Montana, where he was teammates with Bergen, a record-setting return man (also, assistant special teams coordinator Colt Anderson played at Montana). Bergen returned an FCS-record eight punts for touchdowns. He housed three punts on only 10 attempted returns in 2024.

We know that the 49ers aimed at their biggest weaknesses in this draft, and special teams — which finished ranked dead last in 2024 — was one of them. Drafting Bergen, who only has a chance to make the unit as a specialist and not as a receiver, marks a significantly greater level of care for special teams than the 49ers had shown in the past.

The 49ers have one more opening on their 90-man roster. Shanahan has already promised to use it on a kicker to compete with Moody. When the 49ers hold their rookie minicamp next week, they’ll host Louisiana kicker Kenny Almendares for a tryout. He won the 2024 Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in college football.