The San Francisco 49ers once again came up short in Week 16 with a loss to the Miami Dolphins that came after their playoff hopes were officially extinguished by results in the early window of Sunday's slate.

While it was another disappointing week for the Niners in terms of on-field results, San Francisco is edging closer to netting an asset that could help them bounce back in 2025.

Following Sunday's games, the 49ers are slated to pick 11th in the 2025 NFL Draft.

They are the only team in the NFL at 6-9, and have an avenue to moving into the top 10, though it is contingent on the New Orleans Saints finding some late form.

New Orleans (5-9) is currently set to have the 10th overall pick. The Saints face the Packers on Monday Night Football but do have a more winnable game against the Raiders in their penultimate game of the season.

Should the Saints find a way to overhaul the Niners in win-loss record across the final three games of the season, then San Francisco would be in position to get the chance to improve its roster with a top-10 pick.

San Francisco last picked in the top 10 in 2021, when the Niners traded up from 12 to 3 in an ill-fated move to go and get quarterback Trey Lance.

The 49ers haven't owned a top-10 pick at the end of the season since securing the second overall selection in the 2019 draft, which netted them Nick Bosa.

It is already a huge offseason for San Francisco, which will have to contend with the tricky issue of a contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy and how that may affect the 49ers' ability to reshape the roster after a season that has revealed several holes. 

Having a top-10 pick at their disposal would be a great way to add premium talent without worrying about the cost, but it would also pile further pressure on the Niners to get the pick right in what is arguably the biggest offseason of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's tenure with the team.

San Francisco's players won't be thinking about draft position in their final two games against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. However, as an incredibly disappointing year draws to a close, the short-term pain of further defeats for the 49ers may be worth it in the long run as they plot a return to Super Bowl contention next season.

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