It is no secret that the San Francisco 49ers have lost a lot of key talent this offseason. With many players leaving the team in free agency, the Niners are likely going to have to fill their roster holes via the NFL Draft.
The Niners have holes to fill all over the roster, but this article is going to focus on three key areas they should try to address through the NFL Draft at the end of April.
San Francisco 49ers roster hole No. 1: Linebacker
There is going to be a big hole in San Francisco's defense now that brusing linebacker Dre Greenlaw is on the Denver Broncos. The 49ers have some internal options who could help fill the void, but they would be wise to draft a replacement as well.
There are some interesting linebacker prospects available in the draft, so San Francisco should zero in on a guy with some potential and trust that with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and fellow backer Fred Warner, one of the best linebackers in the game, they can turn him into a solid player.
San Francisco 49ers roster hole No. 2: Safety
Another major departure in free agency was safety Talanoa Hufanga who also joined the Broncos. Even though Hufanga was hurt for most of the past two seasons, at his best he could be a formidable presence in the secondary.
Thankfully, the 49ers got some excellent play out of rookie safety Malik Mustapha last season, so he should be a mainstay in the secondary. However, second-year safety Ji'Ayir Brown regressed a bit in 2024.
One hopes he can bounce back in 2025, but the 49ers should draft a safety just in case Brown truly is a liability now.
San Francisco 49ers roster hole No. 3: Defensive line
The roster hole on the defensive line was brought about less by free agency departures and more by the 49ers releasing three starters from the trenches, but it is still an area they absolutely must address through the draft.
With Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, and Javon Hargrave all being let go, the only certainty on the line going into next season is Nick Bosa.
San Francisco is going to have to infuse the D-line with some young blood, ideally players who are good at stopping the run since the 49ers struggles to do that consistently last season. On the latest episode of the Niner Noise Podcast, the hosts even mused about whether San Francisco could trade up to take a premier defensive tackle in the top five picks of the draft.
It is clear that the 49ers have plenty of holes to fill on their roster. They seem unlikely to do so via free agency, so look for them to try and fill most of these holes later this month in Green Bay at the NFL Draft.
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