The San Francisco 49ers’ offseason goal wasn’t a secret. The plan was to transform the defense’s identity a year after being pushed around. A defensive line with a pass-rush-first mentality is how you end up ranking 31st in the NFL in points per drive.
The 2025 rookies were never going to be of the “flashy” variety. It was the class that would build the foundation for the future. Add in Robert Saleh’s scheme, teaching and communication skills, and the improvements have been on full display this past month, even amid injuries.
A make-shift defensive line relying on a mix of journeymen, UDFAs, and rookies has shaved nearly a half point per drive off last year’s total and is up to 13th in points per drive this season.
Let’s grade the rookies 13 weeks into the season.
Mykel Williams: Incomplete
November was supposed to be the month where Williams played subpar offensive lines, gained confidence, stuffed the stat sheet, and looked like a player drafted in the top 15.
Williams had a quiet October, which may leave a sour taste in 49ers’ fans’ minds. Football has turned into judging players by the box score. So, when you see one sack and four tackles for loss in nine games, it looks like Williams wasn’t worthy of the pick. We’re going to use the foundation word a lot today. That’s because neither of these rookies was going to show up in the box score, especially the top two picks.
Williams’s rookie season is incomplete due to his unfortunate season-ending knee injury at the end of the New York Giants game, but his story is far from complete.
There’s a play a game that Collins makes and you can see why the 49ers took him early in the second round. But we’re still waiting on the production. On the season, Collins has 10 tackles and five pressures.
Where Collins’ impact his felt is in short-yardage situations and on the ground. The 49ers are tied for 12th in the NFL in stuffed percentage, which is a run play resulting in no gain or a loss, at 18 percent, per FTN Fantasy. Collins is on the field on every third or fourth-and-short play, and is the primary reason the defense gets off the field in those situations.
Last week, the Browns tried to run at Collins, and he reset the line of scrimmage, pushed the left guard backward, forced the running back to redirect, and landed in CJ West’s lap.
Collins is a “push the pocket” type of pass rusher. It would look much better if the 49ers had both edge presences on the field as they planned before the season. They don’t, and everybody involved is suffering because of it. Still, Collins has shown that he belongs, even if there are blips here and there.
There are enough plays where Collins is still playing too high, which leads to him getting moved. That, paired with not having much pass rush juice, is why he gets a C+.
Martin had his best opportunity to get defensive reps last week against the Cleveland Browns when Curtis Robinson briefly went down. But Martin was already ruled out with a concussion. He’s played a total of 15 defensive snaps this season, with the majority of those coming in Week 11 in garbage time. As the 49ers do with most of their linebackers, this year appears to be a redshirt for the third-rounder.
After a rocky first start, Stout is coming into his own. Fun fact: Stout is second on the team in stops with 19. He’s an A- run defender. The coverage was always going to be a work in progress, as Stout, at his size, assimilates into the NFL after coming from Western Kentucky.
No slot defender has been targeted more this season than Stout. Despite some of the numbers not being in his favor, there are still signs of growth. For example, limiting yards after the catch is the name of the game for nickel defenders. He’s allowed 44 percent of the yards after the catch. For reference, Cooper DeJean is at 67 percent, and rookie Jacob Parrish sits at 63 percent.
Stout is learning how to play zone coverage in the NFL. Doing so on the fly will produce results all over the place. The 49ers were always going to have to be patient with Stout. It’s going to pay off in the long run.
You can’t teach a player to play as hard or aggressively as Stout does. He has nine tackles for loss, and all of those stops are because he’s willing to take on offensive linemen. He’s seventh among all defensive backs in tackles for loss and tied for eighth with nine pressures.
The best defenses in the NFL all have high-end nickel players. Stout has shown that he can develop into a quality starter and be the nickel of the future for the 49ers, as a late third-round pick, which gives him plenty of value.
There should be no surprise that the nose tackle drafted in the first round doesn’t have a sack. That wasn’t his game in college, nor was it the plan for West as a pro.
West gives the 49ers some much-needed beef. Their fourth-round pick isn’t starting, but has contributed 106 snaps in the previous month. His run defense and ability to hold his own at the point of attack have led to veteran Kevin Givens being a healthy scratch during the same four-game stretch.
So, why a B- when his stats don’t back that up? When West is on the field, the 49ers EPA per play is -0.21. That dips to -0.03 when he’s off the field. It’s one of the most drastic differences on the roster. West is doing exactly what the 49ers drafted him to do.
The rest of the Day 3 picks: Redshirts for everybody
For a brief moment, it looked like Jordan Watkins would contribute. But after three snaps in Week 10, he hasn’t played since. The 49ers attempted to use Watkins as their “X” receiver, but Kyle Shanahan and the coaching staff must’ve seen enough to pull the plug on that brief experiment. Jauan Jennings is now the X receiver.
Jordan James’s preseason injury really put him behind the 8-ball, which likely led to the 49ers trading for Brian Robinson. And with the way Robinson has played on offense and special teams, there isn’t a roster spot for James on game day.
Both Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha will be on the roster in 2026. The 49ers could still look to upgrade at safety, but I would imagine Marques Sigle won’t be a part of the plans moving forward. You have to be competent as a run defender or against the pass. Tig and Malik play very well against the run and limit big plays on the back end. Neither were Sigle’s strengths.
Kurtis Rourke will have a role on this roster as early as this offseason if teams are going to come calling for Mac Jones.
Connor Colby could be active again now that Ben Bartch is out for the season. The offensive line took several positive steps forward with Colby on the sidelines, which is expected for a seventh-rounder. Left guard may be another position the Niners need to address this offseason.