The San Francisco 49ers remade their defensive line this offseason. As part of that makeover, they got rid of veteran Maliek Collins. This move could come back to bite them if their rookies prove to be worse than advertised.
As part of an effort by San Francisco to get younger and cheaper in the offseason, the 49ers cut Collins back in March. The move came as a bit of a surprise since Collins put up respectable numbers in 2024. He had 33 combined tackles and five sacks in 17 games started which was consistent with the sort of numbers he put up in Houston.
Yet, the front office decided it was worth it to move on and save some money. Plus, while Collins was brought in with the hope that he could help the team's run defense out, the 49ers still struggled against the run in 2024.
The 49ers opted to revamp their defensive line through the NFL Draft. They selected three D-linemen in the first four rounds of the draft, including edge rusher Mykel Williams, and defensive tackles Alfred Collins and C.J. West.
While San Francisco is bullish on Alfred Collins and West, the team still does have some veteran defensive tackles on the team to provide depth in Kevin Givens and Jordan Elliot. That seems like a fairly good mix of youth and experience, but we know how injuries can decimate a defensive line in the NFL. It sure wouldn't hurt to still have Maliek Collins around as a depth piece even if the hope is that Alfred Collins and West develop into starters.
Plus, one never knows how rookies are going to turn out. Ideally, both Alfred Collins and West will be long-term pieces of the defensive line but we know how the NFL Draft can be a crap shoot. San Francisco would be fortunate if just one of them became a stalwart up front for the team so it is unreasonable to expect that both will be great.
That is why it does not hurt to have veterans like Maliek Collins to pick up the slack and fill in if rookies struggle. One hopes that the 49ers will not end up regretting letting the veteran go, but if the 49ers do not get what they are hoping for from their rookies then it could be a decision they wish they could go back and reverse.