2025 Draft Prospect Watch List and Discussion

Originally posted by NYniner85:

The two guys who have won the interview process and are universally beloved as people, in addition to their playing ability:

1. Jalon Walker EDGE
2. Emeka Egbuka WR

You will not find a coach or GM who doesn't just rave about both young men. @ESPNNFL

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 21, 2025

I've heard both of these, and a lot of chat that the Panthers will draft him, apparently Vrabel loves him too.

I'd be sad, but I'm pretty sure we won't take him if he's there which would be worse.

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

The two guys who have won the interview process and are universally beloved as people, in addition to their playing ability:

1. Jalon Walker EDGE
2. Emeka Egbuka WR

You will not find a coach or GM who doesn't just rave about both young men. @ESPNNFL

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 21, 2025

I've heard both of these, and a lot of chat that the Panthers will draft him, apparently Vrabel loves him too.

I'd be sad, but I'm pretty sure we won't take him if he's there which would be worse.

A lot of AJ to the Jags as well.

End of the day SF is gonna get a solid player at 11

Originally posted by NYniner85:
End of the day SF is gonna get a solid player at 11

Solid, but unlikely great

Couple takes from Breer on health…

Michigan CB Will Johnson has a knee issue that's been flagged. It shouldn't affect him in the short term, but teams are concerned it could impact his longevity. Add to the questions on Johnson's long speed, which were not allayed when he decided not to run a 40, and the Wolverine star could slide.

Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams had just a so-so workout last week and told teams he wasn't at his best because an ankle injury from the fall hampered him a little.

Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell had shoulder surgery after the combine, and teams are projecting him as a candidate to start the season on PUP. Campbell is a bit beat up in the same sort of way that some Crimson Tide players who went through Nick Saban's program have been in the past.

Ohio State OT Josh Simmons tore his patellar tendon in October, and that's a tough injury for a big man to return from. He went through the combine re-check in mid-April, and the impression teams have gotten is that it'll be August before he's fully cleared to play football.

East Carolina CB Shevon Revel tore his ACL in September. He's highly regarded, and would've likely been a first-rounder had he stayed healthy. As it stands, he's expected back around the start of training camp, which will be more of a problem for some teams than others.

Breer on culture changer guys

We talk a lot about guys with character flags. How about the other side? Last week, we mentioned that Georgia's three likely first-rounders (Jalon Walker, Mykel Williams, Malaki Starks) all being top-notch. Jeanty, Booker, Campbell, Zabel, and Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson and Donovan Jackson are also in that culture-driver category.

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by NYniner85:
End of the day SF is gonna get a solid player at 11

Solid, but unlikely great

Says who? So all the great players selected after the first round are? Just because you are soured on this draft doesn't mean that the players selected won't be great players. That's just coming off kinda whiney.

from Breer.

Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen may go higher than you think. Some teams believe he projects better to the NFL than Graham. The character/entitlement question is what you have to get past. But if you have solid infrastructure, as well as locker room and defensive line room, the payoff could be big. So if the San Francisco 49ers are willing to take a swing …

👀 👀

dude overdrafting Femi at 45 would be so on brand

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by NYniner85:
End of the day SF is gonna get a solid player at 11

Solid, but unlikely great

That's the overall theme with all these prospects. even with your boy Walker you gotta squint real damn hard to see some elite level EDGE.

We gotta keep it real and understand the every draft is different. This is a meat and potatoes draft full of good solid players that play mostly in the trenches. Similar to last yrs draft, I'm expecting some good starters. Not a bunch of pro-bowlers at impact positions

Originally posted by Izyniner:

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by NYniner85:
End of the day SF is gonna get a solid player at 11

Solid, but unlikely great

Says who? So all the great players selected after the first round are? Just because you are soured on this draft doesn't mean that the players selected won't be great players. That's just coming off kinda whiney.

I'm just not seeing the two things that you need around our pick. 5 or 6 blue chippers, coupled with 3 or 4 QB's that go top 10 to push them down. I've heard some rumours that Shedeur and Dart might go top 19 and I'd jump through hoops, I just doubt it happens.

McShay put out a video this morning in which he is hearing a lot of dline in the top 17, including the top 10, in part because teams don't see a lot of blue-chip talent and they might as well draft a premium position. This could impact the 49ers if guys they are targeting at 11 are gone. Now Shefty is reporting the niners want to trade down - I would be all for it, but it seems unlikely. McShay and DJ have also been reporting that lots of these prospects have character concerns. I wonder if the increased concerns are in part from these guys making a lot of money in college which attracts leaches and bad influence from friends and family. This draft seems all over the place.

Breer's annual 32 draft breakdown what he's hearing…

San Francisco 49ers First round: No. 11.

Total picks: 11.
Needs: DE, DT, OT, CB.

What you need to know: Depending on what's available—and in particular if one of the top three tackles makes it here—finding a successor for Trent Williams who could play somewhere else on the offensive line for the time being would seem ideal. But Kyle Shanahan's always shown a willingness to make it work with less along his offensive front, believing in his own ability to manage that, and Kris Kocurek's defensive line is losing Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins. One player who's seen as a particular good fit for their attacking scheme, with Robert Saleh back aboard, is Ole Miss's Walter Nolen. This would be a bit of a reach, but if they're O.K. with the football makeup questions (he's seen as a bit entitled but has done well in his meetings), Nolen is certainly worthy, talent-wise, of going in the same neighborhood as Graham.

Originally posted by SD49er:
McShay put out a video this morning in which he is hearing a lot of dline in the top 17, including the top 10, in part because teams don't see a lot of blue-chip talent and they might as well draft a premium position. This could impact the 49ers if guys they are targeting at 11 are gone. Now Shefty is reporting the niners want to trade down - I would be all for it, but it seems unlikely. McShay and DJ have also been reporting that lots of these prospects have character concerns. I wonder if the increased concerns are in part from these guys making a lot of money in college which attracts leaches and bad influence from friends and family. This draft seems all over the place.

Breer keeps bringing up Walter Nolen and SF.