John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers fell short of reaching the NFC title game during the 2025 NFL season, losing to the eventual Super Bowl LX champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
With the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams not going anywhere, the Niners need to bolster their team if they want to get past their two NFC West rivals. One area San Francisco needs to improve is rushing the passer.
Last season, the 49ers recorded only 20 team sacks, and while part of that low number was Nick Bosa missing most of the season, the Niners can’t put all their eggs in Bosa staying healthy to boost those sack numbers in 2026.
As a result, the Niners need to be in the market for a pass rusher, and two big names that could be on their radar are Trey Hendrickson, who can be had via free agency, and Las Vegas Raiders‘ Maxx Crosby, who will need to be acquired through trade.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic shared his update on where the 49ers stand with these two playersduring aMarch 5 appearance on KNBR.
“As far as Trey Hendrickson, they are going to be one of the teams that at the very least is in the conversation; they’re monitoring the situation… he’s only a year removed from leading the league in sacks, his market will be pretty good,” Barrows said.
“Maxx Crosby is going to get a lot of attention, there could be as many as 20 teams in that… it could be a situation where the compensation gets out of hand, the 49ers can’t match, they don’t have a great first round pick.”
Should the 49ers Draft Pass Rush Help Instead?
If the 49ers don’t want to overpay in free agency or in a trade, they could turn to the NFL Draft to find pass-rush help for next season. Barrows recently issued his seven-round mock draft for the 49ers.
For Barrows, selecting a young pass rusher in Round 1 is the route he sees the Niners going after Akheem Mesidor from theMiami Hurricanes.
“No, Miami defensive end Rueben Bain won’t be available at pick No. 27,”Barrows wrote in his mock draft thatwas published onFeb. 13. “But his bookend on the Hurricanes’ defensive line could be.
“Mesidor was nearly as destructive as Bain in 2025, finishing with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, he had a pass-rush win rate of 21.2 percent. To put that in perspective, Bain’s was 22.9 percent.”
Why Akheem Mesidor Could Be Avaliable for the Niners
Moreover, Barrows notes why exactly Mesidor could be available for the Niners to select late in the first round.
“So how does a guy with numbers like that slip to No. 27? Mesidor might not have elite length — his height and arm length will be scrutinized— and he’ll also turn 25 three weeks before the draft,” Barrows added. “That means he’s more than three years older than the 49ers’ first-round pick last year, Mykel Williams.”
How the Niners address last season’s pass-rush issues will be worth watching, especially with the Rams continuing to improve after their trade for Trent McDuffie, as these two teams look to take down the Seahawks next season.