The San Francisco 49ers' defensive front was in dire need of depth entering the offseason—a need that became even more pressing with the departures of Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, and Maliek Collins. The team has yet to address the unit—or much of anything else—in free agency and will likely look to the 2025 NFL Draft for a solution.
The Athletic's team of beat writers recently released their latest combined mock draft, with Matt Barrows selecting for the 49ers. In the first version, Barrows had San Francisco selecting Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the 11th overall pick. However, this time, Zack Rosenblatt had the New York Jets take Warren at No. 7, taking Barrows' previous preferred target off the board.
That left Barrows to select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, this time addressing one of the team's most significant needs.
"The 49ers wanted to trade down in this scenario, but the two most likely reasons for doing so—Warren and [Boise State RB Ashton] Jeanty—were off the board and the phone lines were dead," Barrows wrote. "So San Francisco goes with Harmon, a big, productive defender with versatility on the inside of the line. No college interior defensive lineman had more quarterback pressures than Harmon last season, per PFF (Pro Football Focus)."
Harmon (6-5, 313) played one season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State. In 2024, he posted 45 tackles, including 11 for a loss, five sacks, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, per Sports Reference. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Harmon ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds.
Harmon is the third-ranked interior defender on Pro Football Focus' big board. He earned career-high grades from the analytics site last season, with an 83.9 defensive grade and an 86.3 pass-rush grade, along with a solid 80.5 run-defense grade. However, he also missed a career-high 12 tackles, which lowered his tackling grade to 29.3.
"The 49ers also have had good luck over the years with Ducks defenders—Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Deommodore Lenoir," Barrows added. "It's worth noting that GM John Lynch was among five 49ers scouts on hand for Oregon's pro day earlier this week and that he had dinner with Ducks head coach Dan Lanning."
