How are the 49ers rookies doing? Here’s a comprehensive look as training camp approaches

In less than three weeks, rookies will report to 49ers training camp. They’ll arrive a week before most veterans, allowing for acclimatization activities and some early conditioning work to set the table for the grind ahead.

This will be some of the most critical work of this 49ers era. The team entered this offseason at a crossroads, needing to modernize its roster around a core of superstars. This 18-player rookie class represents the bulk of that effort. There’s a reason why the 2025 NFL Draft seemed like a bigger deal than usual for the 49ers — that’s because it represented a chance to build a bridge between the past and future.

The spring program gave the 49ers and their rookies a first chance to orient themselves. Here’s a comprehensive check-in on their progress.

Just a few minutes into his first NFL practice, the first-round pick inadvertently leveled a 49ers staffer. 

Was this a surefire sign that Williams is primed to be a force on the edge? Of course not. But it was an eye-opening moment at a traditionally uneventful rookie minicamp. The 49ers love Williams’ long arms — they measure 34 and 3/8 inches — and believe his ability to turn length into power will make him an immediate run-stopping menace.

They’ll learn more once pads come on a few days into training camp. It would’ve been impossible to glean much else from the spring, which is why the 49ers shut Williams down for minicamp after he tweaked his hamstring. There’s not much to gain for linemen in non-contact practices. 

Behind the scenes, Williams shadowed veteran star Nick Bosa over the past couple months.

“I’m seeing a lot of talent, a lot of eagerness to learn, moreso than I’ve seen probably from any young guy,” Bosa said. “He just wants to learn as much as he can, and I’m excited to give all the knowledge I can to him. I think he’s got a ton of talent, so the sky’s the limit.”

The defensive tackle has not yet practiced. During spring, he was still recovering from a calf injury suffered at his pro day. The 49ers are not concerned about it and expect Collins to be full-go by training camp.

They also hope that his contract, which is slotted for $10.3 million over four years, is completed by then. Only two second-round picks from the 2025 draft — Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger and Houston’s Jayden Higgins — have signed their deals. 

What’s the holdup? Both Schwesinger and Higgins — the top two picks of the second round —signed fully guaranteed and therefore unprecedented deals, because the collective bargaining agreement dictates that only first-round contracts must be fully guaranteed. As a result, the 30 remaining unsigned players of the second round also want full guarantees that extend beyond their slotted signing bonus. It’s now up to teams and agents to blaze new trails and determine a fair size for these new guarantees.

At pick No. 43, the 11th selection of the second round, Collins is ensured a $4.1 million signing bonus. Now, we wait to see how much more of the remaining $6.2 million in his deal the 49ers will have to ensure. Deadline pressure — likely triggered by the start of camp — should help spur this process along across the entire league. 

Left tackle Trent Williams recently divulged that the rookie linebacker broke his thumb weightlifting. But Martin practiced through minicamp with a wrap over the injury and still managed to impress the 49ers with his speed. Once pads come on, Martin will have to demonstrate his physical readiness for the NFL level.

“I can’t wait to see him,” Williams said. “Can’t wait to see his success in the NFL. He’s going to be a great player.”

The 5-foot-8, 181-pound nickelback is built like a brick — his 21 bench-press reps led all DBs at the NFL Scouting Combine — and is set to be a focal point of an intriguing position battle at camp. If Stout can live up to his name in the box, where the 49ers will demand physical run support from the nickel position, he might have the inside track to start at some point in Year 1. 

But the 49ers aren’t desperate for Stout to learn the ropes immediately. That’s because established veteran Deommodore Lenoir can man the nickel if need be while free agent addition Tre Brown plugs in at outside cornerback. Still, the 49ers would certainly be thrilled if Stout can force his way onto the field by the end of 2025.

Many have compared this fourth rounder to former 49ers defensive tackle D.J. Jones, but it’s apparent that West is more physically prepared as a rookie than his predecessor was. It took Jones about two years to work into appropriate condition for regular NFL usage; West’s 320-pound frame looks notably chiseled already and he’s already impressed 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek with his technical refinement. 

“His ability to be able to strike and win contact and jolt that contact and control blockers with his hands, and then his ability to shed and escape blockers — as a young dude coming from college, it’s advanced for where he’s at this stage in his career,” Kocurek said. “It’s obviously something that really drew us to him.”

West, who helped transform Indiana’s run defense in just one season there, is representative of the 49ers’ efforts to do something similar (they ranked No. 29 against the run in 2024). All three of their drafted D-linemen were particularly strong against the run in college.

With Deebo Samuel now in Washington and Brandon Aiyuk likely out for at least the first four games of 2025, there’s opportunity in the 49ers’ receiver room. Watkins snagged a handful of passes this spring and even showcased what seemed to be a frame that looks like it can be strong enough to compete at this level — although an actual verdict on that cannot come until actual contact is allowed at camp.

This much is apparent: Watkins is more physically prepared as a rookie than Jacob Cowing was last season. Cowing, a 2024 draft pick, weighed only 168 pounds when joining the 49ers. The second-year receiver has added muscle and impressed so far this offseason. That has set up an interesting competition between him and Watson, two speedsters who accelerate very quickly off the line of scrimmage.

It’s very hard, if not impossible, to get an accurate gauge on running backs until preseason games roll around. The 49ers won’t allow tackling to the ground during camp and backs — especially those who aren’t absolute burners like James and undrafted rookie Corey Kiner — can’t showcase their tackle-breaking abilities until all gloves come off.

For now, a fun fact: James didn’t fumble a single time in college at Oregon, a big reason why 49ers legend Frank Gore — who had very similar measurables when drafted into the league — heartily endorsed this pick. 

The versatile safety from Kansas State didn’t practice this spring due to an undisclosed injury, but this didn’t surprise the 49ers. They expect Sigle to be ready for camp and are excited to work his top-tier athleticism into the fold. Sigle’s 4.37-second 40-yard dash was the fastest of all safeties in the 2025 draft. His 10-yard split (1.5 seconds) and broad jump (10 feet, 10 inches) also ranked in the top two. 

Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown, the 49ers’ starting safeties from last season, both missed spring practices with injuries. That opened first-team work for free agent acquisitions Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant. The 49ers see similarities to Pinnock, who’s also a fantastic athlete, in Sigle. They’re clearly trying to add explosiveness the safety spot. 

The quarterback played last season on a torn ACL — and he led Indiana to the College Football Playoff while doing it. The 49ers ate that up. They also like their three healthy QBs — Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and Tanner Mordecai. That might allow them to stash Rourke on injured reserve for the 2025 season. That way, they could preserve Rourke’s valuable rookie deal (porting him to the practice squad would require the termination of this existing contract) while also saving a 53-man roster spot. 

“I thought it was just a very good, valuable pick for us — for a guy who might not be ready for another year,” Shanahan said of Rourke. “We’re in a situation where we could take him, and I think he would’ve gone a lot higher if he was healthy.”

How quickly can this Iowa product develop his pass protection skills? That’s undoubtedly the key for Colby, who worked in a college system that has a fantastic track record of developing run blockers (it’s George Kittle’s alma mater, after all). 

Can Colby take the fast track that Dominick Puni found last season, when he started for the 49ers as a rookie at right guard? Unless Ben Bartch gets hurt, that seems unlikely. But with O-line depth at a premium in this league, there’s a strong chance the 49ers will need Colby to fill in at some point of 2025. 

A top storyline of the spring centered around the 49ers’ cultural revolution on special teams, helmed by new coordinator Brant Boyer. The 49ers have been abominable in this phase of the game and their renewed focus on it even allowed Boyer to make a draft pick of his own. The 49ers used that selection on Bergen, who played with Boyer’s son at Montana and scored eight touchdowns on punt returns, an FCS record.

If the 49ers remain dead-set on pouring new resources into special teams, Bergen has a good chance of staying in the building past the roster cutdown. Even if Bergen begins the season on the practice squad, the 49ers can use weekly call-ups to work him in as a returner. It’ll take game action to gauge Bergen’s readiness for the job.

Kittle raised eyebrows in a recent podcast appearance when he poured praise on rookie receiver Isaiah Neyor, who’s apparently living up to his billing as one of the most athletic prospects in the 2025 rookie class.

“I watched him, he was running a route and he got like 9 1/2 yards in two strides,” Kittle said. “I was like, ‘Holy s—t.’ It was insane. We watched it like 10 times in the tight end room. We were like ‘How is he doing this?’

“If you’re that tall, just make plays, do well on special teams. At the bare minimum he should make the practice squad.”

Of the other 49ers’ undrafted rookies, offensive lineman Drew Moss finds himself in a similar boat as Colby: He was an excellent run blocker in college but will have to showcase pass-blocking progress starting next month. Defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez might be a bit undersized, but the 49ers do have a need for a pass-rushing defensive tackle after all their draft investment in run-stoppers. So there’s a window for Valdez. 

Because linebacker Stone Blanton got married over the weekend of rookie minicamp, he missed his first chance to practice with the 49ers. But Blanton joined the team for OTAs and should have a real opportunity to impress in a new-look linebacker room. The same goes for cornerbacks Jakob Robinson and Derrick Canteen, the latter of whom made the team on the heels of a tryout at the rookie minicamp. 

The 49ers have a bunch of new faces in their secondary, opening the door for free-for-all competition at the back end of their roster. This is part of the plan for a team looking to become younger, faster, healthier and hungrier this offseason.