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On the offensive side of the football, the San Francisco 49ers have a solid force on the line. And they’re developing a younger one on the other side of the ball. Also, there are two 49ers veterans whose roles will be pushed by rookies in the 2025 season.
At the forefront are defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Jordan Elliott. They are feeling the heat from Alfred Collins and C.J. West. Collins came on board in the second round while the 49ers picked up West with their first pick in Round 4.
49ers DT Alfred Collins trying to find footing
It can be a challenge even for high draft picks to find their way early in their NFL careers. And Collins is adjusting to a different style of defense, according to Sports Illustrated.
“You look for the skill set on tape that he has the ability to play within our scheme,” 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said. “We don't want to ever just draft a big guy just to draft a big guy. He still has to have the skill set that we call for within the scheme. You see enough of it on tape.”
However, Kocurek said the University of Texas didn’t expect Collins to play so aggressively all of the time.
“But there are times in passing situations where they kind of turned him loose, and you saw the explosiveness in his body,” Kocurek said. “You saw his ability to change direction, the speed to pursue the ball, the change of speed to go fetch plays downfield and use his length. So yeah, it's going to be a little bit of a learning curve. Seventeen years years in the NFL, I've dealt with that a lot. He'll be alright. We have time through camp to adjust to it. He'll be fine.”
Collins is trying to overcome a calf injury, so his progress isn’t measured in leaps and bounds at this point. But he said he knows what he will bring when he’s healthy, according to 49ers.com.
“The run will be stopped,” Collins said. “They're getting a run stopper for sure. “(The 49ers are) taking the chance on me, not going to be a mistake. So, I'm just blessed.”
Also, Collins said he knows what he needs to do.
“Just great pad level, elite hands, great feet, play recognition to know what block is coming to you,” he said. “And then just getting off of blocks, doing your job at a high level.”
There’s no doubt Collins has potential. Before the draft, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said Collins stands out in one way, according to nfl.com.
“(He) has outstanding physical traits to blend right into an NFL defensive rotation,” Zielein wrote. “He’s quick laterally to spoil landmarks for zone blockers and has the stride length to disrupt upfield if asked. (Collins) added mass in 2024 and was harder to move when his pad level was right.”
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Moreover, Collins said he wants to learn.
“I bring a competitive mindset,” Collins said. “I'm ready to learn from those that have done it before me. I'm ready to come in and do whatever I can to win games, and I'm going to be a good teammate to my teammates.”
49ers DT C.J. West should be in the mix
The 49ers didn’t spend as much draft capital on West, but they still have high expectations for him.
Chris Trapasso said he expects West to make an impact in 2025, according to cbssports.com. He ran a 4.95 in the 40 despite his 6-foot-1, 315-pound size.
“West was as advanced of a run-stuffer as there was at defensive tackle in the 2025 class,” Trapasso said. “He's ready to go in that area of the game. And based on the 49ers' other selections, improving the run defense was the club's core philosophy in the 2025 draft. (West) is an ascending pass-rusher, too, because along with the heavy hands he deploys to toss blockers ahead to halt the run, he has twitch when attacking upfield.
“The 49ers (didn’t) have a primary interior rusher who can stay on the field for three downs and routinely win. They do now with West, whom they stole in the fourth round.”
San Francisco general manager John Lynch said the team needed to beef up its defensive line, according to Sports Illustrated.
“We had some departures this offseason and we felt it was important to restock,” said John Lynch. “Not just with guys. We wanted to put guys that fit our vision for what we want that room to be. And we've talked about Alfred. C.J. is the same way. C.J., I think, if we're talking about him, extremely stout, sturdy, but also has the quickness and strength to play in the other team's backfield.
“Makes a lot of splash plays in the other team's backfield. I had the chance to watch him live this year when we went back to Ohio State. Indiana was there and made an impression in that game. But more so his film, his body of work has really stood out and we just felt like was a really good fit. Another add to the D-Line we're building.”
