2025 mock draft: 49ers hammer trenches in 2-round projection

Offensive line. Defensive line. Rinse. Repeat.

The San Francisco 49ers’ list of needs in the 2025 NFL draft may not change much even after free agency shakes out.

They badly need to revamp their offensive and defensive lines. The order in which they do those and how they prioritize them will depend on how the draft board shakes out, but a draft where they spend every pick bolstering the trenches shouldn’t be out of the question.

San Francisco goes after a player on each line in a new two-round mock draft from the Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Brugler has the 49ers addressing the offensive line first with Missouri’s Armand Membou. Here’s what Brugler wrote about the versatile OL:

Based on the players expected to be available in this range, there is a decent chance the 49ers use this pick to address the trenches, either on the offensive or defensive line. Membou is incredibly underrated, but he plays with exceptional control, athleticism and finish. He would give San Francisco an ascending player with guard-tackle versatility.

A lineman with inside/outside versatility fits what San Francisco has been looking for with their OL selections for the last couple of years. Membou is listed at 6-3, 325 pounds which probably lands him as a guard in the NFL. However, he did play both tackle spots in college and primarily spent time at right tackle where he was the starter for the Tigers in 2023 and 2024. It’s not out of the question he transitions there as a pro, but it would appear he’s more likely to take over at left guard where 49ers starter Aaron Banks is set to hit free agency.

Using the No. 11 pick on a guard doesn’t necessarily fit the 49ers’ team-building strategy during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era, but given the necessity to revamp the OL it may mean a shift away from their previous strategies if they think Membou can step in and be a Pro Bowl caliber starter.

The 49ers get to the other side of the ball in Round 2 of Brugler’s mock. They select Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen at No. 43 overall.

Nolen is a player who has been mocked to the 49ers before in a one-round mock. The 43rd pick seems like a much better spot to take a shot on Nolen, who had only one year of big-time college production.

His first two college seasons were with Texas A&M, and he did have a strong second season with the Aggies in 2023. That year he posted seven sacks on 16 pressures while working as a productive run defender according to Pro Football Focus.

He broke out in 2024 with 34 pressures and six sacks. His elite run defense grade from PFF was buoyed by his 31 run stops.

There are definitely some questions around Nolen after only one year of high-end production, but the upside is extremely high. The opportunity to find a three-down defensive tackle who can affect the pocket as a pass rusher would be tough for San Francisco to pass up with its second pick in a draft where they need to find DL help.

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49ers add Ole Miss DT in mock draft by company supporting Jets GM search

Defensive line is a popular position for the 49ers to pick in mock drafts.

The defensive line has been a popular need for the San Francisco 49ers to fill in early mock drafts.

That’s the exact route they go in a mock draft done by the 33rd Team, the NFL technology and media company hired to support the New York Jets search for a general manager.

A couple of Michigan defensive tackles have been 49ers targets in recent mocks, but this time they go down to the SEC where they select Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

Nolen is listed at 6-3, 305 pounds and put together a couple of stellar years as both a run stopper and a pass rusher.

He spent his first two years at Texas A&M before transferring to Ole Miss for the 2024 campaign. During his second year at A&M he logged seven sacks on 16 pressures according to Pro Football Focus, but he really broke out this year with the Rebels. In 13 games he logged 34 pressures and six sacks, along with 31 run stops per PFF. The football analytics site also graded him out as an elite run defender.

Just one year of high-end production may give the 49ers pause if they aim for a defensive tackle in the first round. They need to hit on that pick and make sure the player is going to be productive right away. Perhaps Nolen’s ascension in 2024 is a sign that his trajectory will continue upward and he steps in Day 1 as an effective pass rusher and run stuffer. San Francisco will have to be absolutely sure that’s the case if this is the route they go in the 2025 draft.

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