The San Francisco 49ers will be hoping to replicate their efforts in the 2024 draft when they come to make their picks at this year's annual selection meeting, having seen extremely encouraging early returns from their most recent crop of rookies.

San Francisco saw contributions from players picked on each day of the draft, an extremely strong class for the 49ers much needed after two consecutive years without a first-round pick.

The 49ers are hoping to have 10 picks in the 2025 draft, and the final projection of compensatory picks for free agents lost last offseason from Over The Cap's Nick Korte would give them exactly that amount.

Korte projects the 49ers, who are already set to receive another third-rounder for the hires of DeMeco Ryans and Ran Carthon by the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans respectively, to receive two fourth-round picks, for the free agent losses of Sam Darnold and Chase Young respectively, along with a seventh-rounder for the departure of Ray-Ray McCloud.

Darnold's outstanding season for the Minnesota Vikings in which he played virtually every snap could give the 49ers some very valuable day-three capital, but they will face a nervous wait to find out if they will indeed receive a fourth-rounder for him.

Indeed, Korte's compensatory pick formula has his contract floating just above a fifth-round value. Should the NFL deem it to have a fifth-round value instead of a fourth when it finalizes the comp picks, then the 49ers will not receive a pick for losing Darnold, as his departure would be canceled out by the addition of edge rusher Leonard Floyd, whose contract is projected as having a fifth-round value by Korte, and is well above the sixth-round cut-off.

Should that scenario play out, the 49ers will still receive a third comp pick, but it will be another seventh-rounder to compensate for the loss of edge rusher Clelin Ferrell.

San Francisco did excellent work in the fourth round last year, landing an extremely promising safety in Malik Mustapha who appears set to be a long-term starter. In addition, they added speedy wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who flashed in limited time on the field as a rookie, and traded up for running back Isaac Guerendo. 

Guerendo displayed significant big-play potential despite battling injuries, his season ended on the first series of the 49ers' Week 18 finale because of a knee injury, though thankfully not a serious one.

It is obviously far easier to find impact players in the fourth round than the seventh, though the 49ers found their starting quarterback with the final pick in the draft back in 2022. San Francisco will be in a much better position to have another successful draft if they have three fourth-rounders, but they'll have to wait until March to find out if they will benefit from an extremely useful luxury.

49ers’ standout draft pick ends 14-year with by receiving well-deserved recognition for outstanding rookie year

He enjoyed an excellent season.