Explosiveness of the snap as a pass rusher, ability to anchor for pass protectors, awareness in zone coverage as a defensive back, they're all traits the San Francisco 49ers will have examined in putting together their big board for the 2024 NFL Draft. 

But the most important thing the 49ers look for in this year's draft cycle might have nothing to do with football.

Instead, it may just be a number, their age.

FTN Fantasy released its annual look at the snap-weighted age for all 32 teams. Snap-weighted age calculates the age of a team's roster by weighing the age of each player by the number of snaps he played in the regular season.

The 49ers came out as the third-oldest team in the NFL with a snap-weighted age of 27.1. 

That is reflective of a roster filled with veteran stars, with the 49ers well above the average at four positions — running back (28.2), tight end (28.7), offensive line (28.5) and defensive line (28.2).

The running back number is skewed by fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who is 32. Their workhorse in the backfield, Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, is still only 27. However, tight end George Kittle is entering his age-31 season.

On the O-Line, All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is showing no signs of a drop-off at 35 and will be 36 when the 2024 season starts. The 49ers also relied heavily on another veteran, Jon Feliciano, at right guard during the second half of the season.

The 49ers have got younger on one area of the defensive line this offseason by parting with defensive tackle Arik Armstead (30) and replacing him with Maliek Collins (28), but with edge rusher Leonard Floyd (31) joining a front that also includes defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (31), that swap's impact on San Francisco's age has likely been offset.

In addition to developing stars like Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, the 49ers have been aggressive in acquiring veteran talent and the results have been clear for all to see. Four NFC Championship appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl in the last five seasons is a record that speaks for itself.

But the 49ers' lofty position on the snap-weighted age chart is reflective of a team doesn't just need to add young depth, but find rookies who can at least play some meaningful snaps early in their careers.

Doing so will be critical in potentially extending the careers of some of their veterans by allowing them to take more snaps off, and in giving the 49ers options to whom they can turn if some of their stars prove too expensive to keep in the coming years as San Francisco likely prepares to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in football in 2025.

While Purdy's incredible emergence as the 49ers' starting quarterback has hammered home the importance of experience at the college level, there's reason for the 49ers to err on the side of favoring the youngest prospects in the draft when breaking potential ties on their draft board.

As is the case for all teams in the draft, the 49ers need to think several years ahead. The hope is that San Francisco will be in a position where it will want to give second contracts to at least some of the players it picks this month. When that time comes, it is much more favorable for a franchise to have those players be on the verge of their prime years at 25 or 26 rather than in the middle of them at 27, 28 years old.

The 49ers are obviously still a 'Super Bowl or bust' team after losing in overtime in Las Vegas in February, so they need players who can make a difference right now. Beyond that, for the overall health of their roster and the financial flexibility it buys them, they have to get younger, particularly with a huge contract for Purdy potentially on the horizon next offseason.

The old axiom is that age is just a number but, in a draft process that is in large part defined by numbers, it might be the most important one for San Francisco in 2024.

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