2025 Draft: Everybody Else
With all our biggest needs previously examined, part VII of our draft preview series looks at a smattering of other prospects who could be in our crosshairs. Asterisks (*) by names mark some of my favorite prospect/scheme fits.
Wide receiver. Running back. Interior OL depth. These aren’t pressing needs, but they’re all positions we could theoretically draft later this week. Thus, they get thrown in this last-second grab bag of prospects.
Unlike the position-specific write-ups, I’m just going to skip the first round, second round, etc. designations and simply cluster everyone into positional archetypes of varying specificity.
RUNNING BACKS
While CMC and Guerendo make up the foundation of a great backfield, the pantry is all but empty behind them. Given Shanahan’s unabashed love for drafting running backs plus the fact that we’ve had to deploy our RB4 or worse in all but two seasons of the eight year ShanaLynch run, you can bet your ass we’re drafting someone from one of the better running back classes in years. But how patient will we be?
IF WE HAVE TO DRAFT A BACK IN THE THIRD ROUND, AT LEAST THESE GUYS WOULD BE OF GOOD VALUE: I’m not saying we’re gonna. And I’m certainly not saying we should. I’m just saying it would be neglectful not to mention it given our draft history.
Despite facing as many loaded boxes as anyone (Hawkeyes offense, ladies and gentlemen), Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) has tape that looks like a Pee Wee highlight reel. With his decisiveness and one-cut running ability, he rips huge gain after huge gain and uses his big 6-1, 224-pound frame to power through arm tackles as he breaks into the open field. He’s not an open field shake-and-bake guy, but he’s a crease finder with the build of a bruiser. As a runner, he’s a near-perfect fit for our scheme, but he’d need to improve his pass blocking to secure third-down work. (2nd)
A nimble glider with great top-end speed, Dylan Sampson (Tennessee) sifts and glides through traffic before busting into the open field and breaking angles with his speed. His little jukes, sidesteps, and set-ups create a lot of hidden (and not so hidden) yardage, and while his receiving ability is untested, he’s got nice potential in the department. Size will always be a concern, and ball security and pass pro need improvement, but the playstyle fits. (2nd-3rd)
STRETCH SAVANTS: Some of these guys give one-trick pony energy, but all of them excel at our favorite run concept and have speed to break chunk plays on the ground.
A patient runner with tremendous decisiveness and “make you miss in a phone booth” ability both in space and through the hole, *RJ Harvey (UCF) is a big-play runner due to his burst and elusiveness–even if his top end speed is only average for a player of his rather small (5-8, 205 lbs.) frame. He shows nice promise as a receiver, but would need to improve vastly in pass production to garner third-down duties. (3rd-4th)
With testing numbers (4.32 forty, 40.5” vert) that match his impressive athleticism on tape, *Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech) is a homerun hitter who needs to get better at ripping singles. While far from a big guy (5-9, 206 lbs.), Tuten shows strong contact balance and leg churn to slip by tacklers, and is dangerous on any outside run. On inside runs? He doesn’t lack in toughness, but his vision is… a work in progress. Ball security and pass pro are weaknesses that could land him in doghouses, but his upside as a receiving threat is worth noting if he can muster the reps. (3rd-4th)
An absolute rocket out of the backfield who combines elite speed with an uncanny ability to make sharp cuts at full throttle, *Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Arizona) is a homerun waiting to happen, but a bit of a chaos agent in how often he hunts said home runs. He’s cut happy–something Bobby Turner will have to grind out of him–with lots of ups and downs and inefficiency in his game. But his potential in this offense is tantalizing. He only played one game this year due to eligibility issues, so interviews will be critical. But if he checks out mentally, he could be a damn interesting dice roll. (5th-6th)
An undersized but speedy stretch and outside zone specialist, *Marcus Yarns (Delaware) doesn’t have the size, power, or contact balance of a full-time player, but his big-play speed and ability in the passing game make for an intriguing change of pace back. (7th)
JEFF WILSON IMPERSONATORS: With Wilson and Mason gone, we’re sorely missing a “battering ram with soft hands” type of presence in the backfield. Although realistically, this is more the type of player we add in UDFA than spend a pick on.
Eclipsing 1,000 yards for three straight seasons for the Jayhawks, Devin Neal (Kansas) isn’t a throwback punishing power back, but his knack for setting up bad tackling angles and his burst through the hole let him consistently grind out extra yardage. He lacks long speed for the big gain and needs to improve his pass pro a bit to stick on third downs, but he’s a natural as a receiver and runner, giving him great reserve versatility. (4th)
While he won’t win any foot races or bowl people over, Kyle Monangai (Rutgers) is a hard-charging runner who is disciplined in his reads and tempos his runs to get the most out of what’s given. He’s a dependable asset in the interior run game, but isn’t really a receiving threat at this point in his career. (4th-5th)
RECEIVER FIRST: With CMC and Isaac G heading our backfield, we are fully committed to running backs who are weapons out of the backfield. These guys have varying degrees of effectiveness as actual runners, but they can all make a difference as receivers.
DJ Giddens (Kansas State) isn’t super explosive, nor does he run with as much power as his 212-pound frame would suggest. But he is way shiftier in tight quarters than he has any right to be, and that-combined with his downfield receiving ability–make for an intriguing combination. (3rd-4th)
As one of only two running backs to total 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards this season, LeQuint Allen (Syracuse) has quick feet, good patience, and nice vision to squeeze through holes without losing steam. He’s not a burner, a brawler, or a make-you-miss type, but he runs downhill with good effort and is an absolute weapon in the passing game. (4th-5th)
A former Miami receiver who didn’t convert to running back until this year, *Brashard Smith (SMU) understandably has some technique, patience, and vision issues to address, but he’s a homerun hitter of an athlete with terrific body control and his ability as a receiver–not only out of the backfield but in running routes downfield–is sure to entice our staff. (4th-5th)
While his career never really blossomed as planned after his breakout game against Ohio State back in 2022, Donovan Edwards (Michigan) is a good athlete and a talented receiver who was underutilized in the passing game in college. His patience, vision, and contact balance all contributed to his scattershot performances and underwhelming overall stat line, but his receiving ability is an NFL trait. (6th-7th)
WIDE RECEIVERS
While we’ve spammed versatile hybrid YAC types in the past, it’s debatable what we’re looking for in the post-Deebo/man coverage era. I’m expecting our offense to look a bit different next year, I’m just not quite sure how. So I’m including receivers who fit multiple different archetypes below.
SO YOU WANT ANOTHER DEEBO? These are YAC dominant types who are at their best with the ball in their hands, but their ability to get open in the first place varies tremendously.
With a 7.3 YAC average on his career, Luther Burden III (Missouri) has been so good at generating yardage with the ball in his hands that the Tigers have spent his whole career just feeding him on underneath routes and screens. That’s been great to showcase his athleticism and ability in the open field, but it hasn’t helped his route running, which is very much a work in progress. But the ceiling is there for a complete WR1. (1st-2nd)
Despite his thoroughly triggering name, *Kyle Williams (Washington State) absolutely rips with the ball in his hands, with elite burst and speed and the natural ability to turn upfield for massive gains when he gets a window. His route running needs work, and his hands will likely never be great, but his slippery ability versus press and his excellent deep ball skills give him three S (slant, screen, streak) ability now with the potential for a more complete game down the road. (3rd)
A physically impressive but thoroughly raw size-speed athlete, Savion Williams (TCU) pairs impressive size (6-4, 222 lbs.) with freaky athletic traits and high-level gadget ability. His flashes of downfield ball adjustment and contested catches point to a potential ceiling higher than the Cordarelle Patterson vibes he’s currently giving off, but his receiver skills–versus his “just being an athlete” skills–are underdeveloped. (3rd-4th)
An absolute beanpole (5-10, 154 lbs.) whose lack of bulk is largely unprecedented, *Tez Johnson (Oregon) is a lightning rod whose top-end speed and ability to cut and accelerate on a dime make him impossible to corral once he gets a step in space. He has room to improve technically, and the size and strength concerns are genuine, but he feels like–at worst–an explosive gadget player and vertical threat. (4th)
With a freaky combination of athleticism (4.40 forty, 38” vert), build (6-4, 218 lbs.), and length (34 ½” arms), Isaiah Neyor (Nebraska) has had flashes of brilliance broken up by two season-ending knee injuries and a whole lot of technical work to improve upon. He is absolutely a traits over production guy who will need to assert himself on special teams to stick around long enough to develop them. (6th)
A massively undersized (5-8, 174 lbs.) speed merchant with homerun speed both vertically and on quick hitters underneath, Jimmy Horn Jr. (Colorado) really should have had better production in college, but he has gadget player and return man potential. (6th-7th)
SO YOU DON’T WANT ANOTHER DEEBO? These guys are more along the lines of the Brandon Aiyuk-to-Jauan Jennings spectrum. Receivers through and through with the size and skill to line up–mostly–at the X.
A long and athletic jumbo wideout (6-4, 214 lbs.) with smooth athleticism in and out of his routes and great fluidity tracking the ball, Jayden Higgins (Iowa State) is an ascending X who isn’t particularly sudden or fast but can win on all three levels as a possession receiver. (2nd)
He won’t be taking the top off of NFL defenses anytime soon, but what Jack Bech (TCU) lacks in top-end speed and burst, he makes up for in savvy, strength, and an elite ability to track the ball down the field and secure it in traffic. These kinds of receivers need to dominate press to become more than WR3s, and–in that regard–Bech has work to do. But if he can figure it out, he’s got shades of Puka Nacua in his gritty inside-out ability. (2nd-3rd)
While not as technically sound or polished as other prospects in this draft range, Elic Ayomanor (Stanford) is a big, physical, and athletic prospect who showed flashes of dominance (294 yards in a comeback over Colorado–with a lot of it over Travis Hunter) despite playing in a dumpster fire of a passing attack. There’s projection, but the traits are appealing and the mindset, which includes top-tier run blocking, is intriguing. (2nd-3rd)
Just the fourth player in FBS history to accomplish the receiving triple crown–leading the country in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns–Nick Nash (San Jose State) entered college as a dual-threat quarterback and leaves as a massively productive catch point maven. His speed and short-area quickness are lacking, and his route running–naturally–still needs refining. He’s also one of the oldest prospects in the class–as he’ll be turning 26 this summer. But he feels like a player who will carve out a lengthy career as a big slot. (5th)
A skilled but athletically capped prospect with good size, savvy, and some inside-out versatility, Pat Bryant (Illinois) has a clear ceiling and lacks separation ability, but he’s got the toughness and technical expertise to carve out a role as a possession WR3. (5th)
3RD DAY INTERIOR OL
Cause I don’t expect us to take one earlier than that.
C, Drew Kendall (Boston College) is a fluid athlete and three-year starter who lacks the mass of a mauler. (4th)
*C/G, Jackson Slater (Sac State) is an impressive athlete with good power who thrives in the outside zone but will need some technical clean-up to get there. (4th-5th)
G, Bryce Kabeldue (Kansas) could give us back-to-back converted Jayhawk tackles at guard. He’s got good quickness, plus movement skills, and heavy hands. (5th)
C/G, Joshua Gray (Oregon State) is a lean and intelligent four-and-a-half year starter with zone/stretch athleticism who is severely lacking in bulk. (5th-6th)
G, Clay Webb (Jacksonville State) is well-versed in outside zone from playing under Rich Rod, but his strength is his calling card. (6th)
*C/G, Jonah Monheim (USC) has plus quickness and has started games at 4 of 5 OL positions, but is limited by his super short arms. (6th)
C/G, Eli Cox (Kentucky) is a six-year player with plus athleticism and a lack of ideal power. (6th)
G/C, Aiden Williams (Minnesota-Duluth) is a former tight end and former tackle with developmental athletic traits if he can make another move inside. (UDFA)
3RD DAY SAFETIES
Think we’re happy enough at this position, so anyone we add better be able to play specials.
Jaylen Reed (Penn State) is a plus athlete with excellent aggressiveness, but his missed tackles may remind us a bit too much of Ji’Ayir Brown. (4th)
Dante Trader Jr. (Maryland) isn’t the biggest or the fastest but he’s a good short-area athlete who triggers quick downhill. (4th-5th)
Dan Jackson (Georgia) triggers quick and plays fast when he can move forward, but he’s a bit out of control, and you worry about his deep coverage ability. Special teams value. (5th-6th)
Craig Woodson (California) is smart, well-rounded, and a good athlete. He doesn’t shine in any particular category, but he also won’t make you pull your hair out. Boring isn’t always bad at safety. (6th)
Rayuan Lane III (Navy) has good vision, smarts, and fluid athleticism, but needs to improve open field tackling. Special teams value. (6th)
Kitan Crawford (Nevada) has NFL speed and athleticism but is still new to the position and will need reps and development. Special teams value. (7th)
BLIND GUESS
Drafting a running back is all but a certainty; we just have to hope we can wait until at least the fourth round to do it. The Deebo departure and the Aiyuk situation make me think we’ll probably add a wideout somewhere as well, perhaps with one of those fifth-round picks, but that’s not a certainty. Finally, don’t be shocked if we address either position as early as the third. We have a bad habit of taking those skill guys earlier than we should, but—in this case—there are at least some intriguing value plays around that area.
Depending on how many of our late-round picks we wind up keeping, a developmental player on the interior OL seems likely, as Ben Bartch, Nick Zakelj, and Spencer Burford (more of a swing tackle now) are all on the last year of their respective contracts. I have a hard time believing we’ll roster five safeties, but a developmental add with special teams ability to push one of the vets could be picked late in the draft.
Go Niners 🏈👍