Entering the 2025 NFL Draft next week, the San Francisco 49ers have 11 picks, including 8 in the top 160 selections. Their first pick comes at 11th overall, so the 49ers GM John Lynch knows “We have 11 draft choices, and we have to make them count.” And there’s a reason. San Francisco, following the 2021-22 LA Rams route of ‘old out, new in’, cut 17 players. Hence, entering the 2025 season, a lot would depend on the incoming fresh talent if the 49ers do want to make a mark from the get-go.

But here’s the pickle: for most, these talented top picks would be exactly what they need for the overhaul. However, is San Francisco not better off with their late-round picks? We don’t need to go further than the one decision they’re fixated on, as The San Francisco Standard’s David Lombardi would put it, “San Francisco’s big bet on Brock Purdy.” The former Mr. Irrelevant, the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, pulled the 49ers into the 2023 Super Bowl and earned a Pro Bowl, proving that the Bay Area team doesn’t need to circle the early draftees. Let’s jog our memories back to when the 49ers traded their first-round picks in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as their third-round pick in 2022, to the Dolphins to get the third overall Trey Lance, only to get 2 seasons and 4 starts in return. However, that’s exactly when their luck shone with Purdy. And more often than not, they’ve been lucky in such cases.

Look at George Kittle (5th-round), Fred Warner (3rd-round), Dre Greenlaw (5th-round), and Deommodore Lenoir (5th-round), who turned out to be gems over first-round flops: Solomon Thomas (3rd overall), Reuben Foster (31st overall), and Javon Kinlaw (14th overall). Given their history and track record of finding better players late in the draft, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah might have an idea of what Kyle Shanahan could do. On Friday’s conference call with media members, Jeremiah claimed,

“They have done as well as anybody outside the first round, finding not just starters but All-Pro, impact-caliber players. So, to me, it seems like a pretty simple formula, where you want more shots at it than less, given their track record and their history.

“I would not be surprised at all where they’re picking. They’re sitting there picking at No.11. If anybody wants to call and come up. I’d think they would be more than willing to slide back and get more picks and take more shots at it.

“There’s the evaluating and projecting talent, which you could say has been a little up and down with them. But the other side of it is developing them once they get there. And I think they’re outstanding at doing that. I’m sure they’ll end up getting the Brock Purdy thing done before too long, and then it’s going to come down to the importance of them hitting on their draft picks. They’ve been stellar and really kind of flipped their roster from old to young really, really fast.”

Considering that the 49ers have shipped off a lot of their stars, including Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd, in anticipation of giving Brock Purdy a lucrative extension, they wouldn’t want to miss out on any of the 11 picks they have. Obviously, the chances of all 11 succeeding remain impossible. A simple ‘bigger pool, better probability’ scenario.

One factor that could very well impact these decisions would be Robert Saleh’s return to the Bay Area, giving the 49ers defense a massive boost ahead of a critical campaign.

Robert Saleh’s homecoming set to play a major factor in the 49ers’ season

The 49ers’ defense went through hell last year. Under Nick Sorensen, they ranked 8th in opponent yards per game (317.4) and 50 TDs allowed, which sounds nice. But they were 29th in opponent points per game. Their fifth-ranked passing defense was better with 192.8 pass yards allowed on average and 25 pass TDs allowed. However, their rushing defense fell hard to the 18th rank, scoring defense to 27, and red zone defense to 31. Their defensive line clearly needed work.

So, basically dead last when it came to moving the scoreboard against their corner. That’s why the 49ers decided to sack Sorensen and brought back a familiar face in Saleh. Robert is coming off a miserable head coaching stint with the Jets. His 4 seasons with the Jets saw him finish with a record of 20-36.

But his defense was consistently punching above its weight. Gang Green, under Saleh’s 2022 and 2023 seasons, ranked first in passing yards allowed per game (178.9). This means their overall record may have been abysmal. However, Saleh did impress with his defensive mastermind. And another thing that made him stand out in New York was his ability to develop first-year players. Under his tutelage, Jets’ 4th overall pick Sauce Gardner won the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Sauce made two consecutive Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro trips. But after Saleh’s dismissal mid-season, Gardner’s numbers also dropped. Last season, he couldn’t repeat another Pro Bowl or All-Pro season. So, with Saleh’s homecoming in the Bay Area, he is not just expected to improve their defense. The 49ers believe Saleh will play a key role in the first-year players they are going to draft this year. Only time will tell if Saleh’s second stint in San Francisco pays off. Either it will be a repeat of his first stint or a continuation of the Jets’ debacle.