49ers add big pass rusher in ESPN NFL mock draft

The former top recruit recorded 6.5 sacks for the Rebels during the 2024 campaign.

The college football regular season is officially over and bowl season is here. With the regular season wrapped up, many of the top prospects from around the country are beginning to declare for the draft if their team was not selected for the first-ever 12-team playoff.

While it’s becoming clearer which players will be on the board for April’s 2025 NFL draft, mock drafts are beginning to stack up with predictions for the San Francisco 49ers‘ first-round selection. According to Yates, Nolen is a “disruptor.” Yates praised Nolen’s pass-rushing skills and strength on the interior of the defensive line.

In the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Field Yates, the 49ers addressed the defensive line in the first round. With the No. 15 overall selection, Yates penned Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen to the 49ers.

Via ESPN:

Nolen is a disruptor with excellent interior pass-rushing traits, tallying 6.5 sacks this season. He has very good strength, an explosive first step and powerful hands to disengage from blockers and chase down the quarterback.

Read Yates’s full mock draft here.

After transferring from Texas A&M to Ole Miss, the 6-foot-4, 290 lb defensive linemen recorded 26 total tackles with 6.5 sacks for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in 2024.

Prior to entering the college level, Nolen was a top recruit, earning either the first or second spot for the class of 2022 in multiple high school recruiting outlets. Nolen played two seasons at Texas A&M for Jimbo Fisher, recording five sacks, a forced fumble and 66 tackles for the Aggies.

The 2025 NFL draft is slated to begin with round one on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Draft prospect Boogie Fland: ‘When the game’s on the line, I want the ball in my hands – that’s where I thrive’

Boogie Fland, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (No. 20 on our latest Aggregate Mock Draft), is quickly making a name for himself as a freshman under John Calipari in his first year coaching Arkansas after leaving Kentucky. Standing …

Boogie Fland, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (No. 20 on our latest Aggregate Mock Draft), is quickly making a name for himself as a freshman under John Calipari in his first year coaching Arkansas after leaving Kentucky.

Standing at about 6-foot-2 and weighing just under 180 pounds, Fland will draw comparisons to a former Calipari-coached guard Rob Dillingham, the 8th overall pick in last year’s draft, or a little-known guard drafted out of Vanderbilt named Darius Garland.

Known for his shooting touch, poise, playmaking and his ability to thrive both on-ball and off-ball, Fland is already showcasing his potential as a future NBA guard.

Following a clutch performance against Miami, Fland spoke with HoopsHype and reflected on the start of his true freshman season, his ability to close games, his playstyle, playing in high-intensity situations early in the year and more.

Ranking: The highest-paid NBA draft classes ever

We can argue all day about what the best draft class ever was, with some people saying 1984, others 1996, and some others 2003. But when it comes to money, the answer is pretty clear-cut: the 2011 draft class, which features max players like Kawhi …

We can argue all day about what the best draft class ever was, with some people saying 1984, others 1996, and some others 2003.

But when it comes to money, the answer is pretty clear-cut: the 2011 draft class, which features max players like Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and Jimmy Butler, ranks No. 1 in terms of career earnings in NBA history.

That is due to change in the future with salaries continuing to grow and more recent draft classes entering their prime. But it’s going to take a while since the 2011 players have already made $3.5 billion and will continue to cash in big bucks in the following years.

You can check the all-time ranking with the top earners from each class below.

49ers take injured CB in 1st round of 2025 NFL mock draft

In 24 games at East Carolina, the defensive back has recorded three interceptions.

With only a few weeks left on the college football slate, NFL draft season is beginning to hit its stride. Before the San Francisco 49ers meet the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, USA TODAY’s NFL Draft Wire released their latest predictions for the 2025 draft with a new mock draft.

With the No. 17 overall selection in the mock draft, Curt Popejoy of USA TODAY’s draft wire penned East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel to the 49ers in the first round.

Read Popejoy’s full mock with Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter coming off the board at No. 1 here.

In three seasons at East Carolina, the 6-foot-3 defensive back has notched three interceptions, 15 pass deflections, a sack and five tackles for loss over 24 games. Revel has wrapped up 71 total tackles in his career.

Revel’s junior season was cut short after the top prospect tore his ACL at practice in September. Prior to his injury, Revel intercepted off App State quarterback Joey Aguilar for a 50-yard pick-six touchdown.

Via @American_Conf on Twitter:

In three games in 2024, Revel has posted an 85.4 grade according to Pro Football Focus. In 204 snaps this season, Revel has recorded a 87 coverage grade with PFF. In all three seasons at East Carolina, Revel has tallied an 81.5 grade or better with PFF.

The first round of the NFL draft is set for April 24, 2025. The draft will take place in Green Bay.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

49ers solve biggest roster flaw in ESPN mock draft

The 49ers address the offensive line in the latest mock draft from ESPN.

While the stretch run and playoff push of the season is looming in the NFL, the college football schedule is entering the final two weeks before conference championships, bowl season and the highly-anticipated 12-team playoff.

As the college football season heats up, the final handful of weeks will display some of the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft class for the final time.

In the latest NFL mock draft from ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, the San Francisco 49ers addressed their offensive line in the first round. With the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 edition of the NFL draft, Miller penned Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Cameron Williams.

According to Miller, Williams’ game is still “raw,” but he could be a “long-term fix” for the 49ers offensive line on the right side alongside breakout young guard Dominick Puni.

Via ESPN:

He’s a first-year starter, and his game is still raw, but he shows considerable potential. The 6-foot-5, 335-pounder has drawn comparisons to 2024 first-rounder Amarius Mims in terms of his strength and agility, with one NFC South area scout telling me that Williams has a chance to be the first OT drafted if he declares. The 49ers could plug him next to guard Dominick Puni, their third-round pick in 2024, and form an incredibly young and strong right side of the line.

Read Miller’s full mock draft here via ESPN. 

The former three-star recruit is listed at 6-foot-5, 335 lbs. Williams plays on the opposite side of the Longhorns’ line as fellow top offensive tackle prospect Kelvin Banks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams has earned a 72.0 offensive grade this season with a 79.3 pass-blocking grade and a 76.2 run-blocking grade. Williams earned his best grade during Texas’ contest against Vanderbilt with an 81.1 grade.

Williams will suit up for Texas against Kentucky on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

How valuable is QB Justin Fields on the trade market?

With Russell Wilson potentially the starting QB job for weeks to come, what would teams theoretically give up in a trade for Justin Fields?

Quarterbacks are extremely hard to come by in today’s game. Some franchises, like the Browns and Panthers, spend years rebuilding in hopes of finding the future of their organization. After Russell Wilson’s dominant Week 7 victory over the New York Jets, Justin Fields may be more valuable as a trade asset than as a backup QB.

Several teams are trying to compete without a reliable signal-caller in 2024, and if their were teams interested in acquiring Fields, what would a trade look like?

The Steelers gave up a conditional sixth-rounder to acquire Fields, but he has performed well so far this season, and the team could demand a conditional second- or third-round pick in 2024.

As the team is in ‘win-now mode’, if Pittsburgh traded Fields away, it’s more likely they would do so to acquire a talented receiver, such as DeAndre Hopkins, Jerry Jeudy, Diontae Johnson, or Jakobi Meyers.

Could Pittsburgh trade away their potential future signal-caller in hopes of winning a Super Bowl this season? Only time will tell as the November 5th trade deadline draws nearer.

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Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: International prospects rise

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY. A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft: * Some …

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY.

A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft:

* Some freshmen are missing because they weren’t listed on all the mocks we compiled, meaning scouts don’t see them as one-and-done prospects yet.

* Additionally, the ages shown for international prospects reflect their draft-day age. These are preliminary scouting reports and are subject to change as we progress through the pre-draft process.

While some see future all-stars in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe, others have doubts. We tend to agree with scouts who don’t see this group as generational. As the season unfolds, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves, but expectations should remain grounded.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

The New York Knicks forfeited their 2025 second-round pick due to tampering.

93.7 The Fan host on Steelers’ trade rumors with new WR target

Andrew Fillipponi, host of the popular PIttsburgh sports radio station, 93.7 The Fan, touched a rumor involving a new WR trade target.

Steelers commentator and host of 93.7 The Fan, Andrew Fillipponi, threw some gas on the proverbial ‘Pittsburgh trading for WR’ fire. The trade rumor in question, from Fillipponi, focuses in on the Panthers attempting to move on from former three-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro WR Adam Thielen. This isn’t the first trade Pittsburgh has been linked to, as Omar Khan and the Steelers’ organization attempted to trade for both WR Brandon Aiyuk and WR Davante Adams but ultimately came up short. 

Thielen is currently on IR after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3. He will be eligible to return no sooner than the Carolina Panthers’ Week 8 contest against the Denver Broncos on October 27th. Could the Panthers activate Thielen and trade him between this date and the trade deadline on November 5th? 

Fillipponi, asked fans of the ‘Steel City’ on social media if the team should pursue the former Vikings receiver.

Let us know what you think about the rumor involving Pittsburgh’s sixth-round pick and Adam Thielen below:

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