The San Francisco 49ers biggest needs heading into free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft are pretty clear. 

They need significant help on the interior of the defensive line, which needs to deliver better pass disruption and perform better against the run, while they would also greatly benefit from more depth on the edge. Alongside the interior D-Line, the offensive line stands a significant problem. The 49ers need more depth and could serve to upgrade at right tackle and center.

AJ Schulte's latest two-round mock draft has the 49ers making a home run pick with the 11th overall selection, but also has them completely neglecting their most significant issues.

Schulte has the 49ers selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks with the 11th pick, giving San Francisco one of the best players in the class at a position where there is still much uncertainty.

He writes of the Starks pick:

Talanoa Hufanga is a pending free agent, and I don't think the 49ers are in a rush to re-sign him. With the rest of the safety room a giant question mark, the 49ers need a difference-maker in their secondary to solidify the back end of their defense. 

Malaki Starks is one of the best pure talents in this class who can do it all on the field. He's, quite frankly, one of the easiest evaluations in this class. Add on to that his young age (just 21 years old) and he's a no-brainer top player in this class.

It is indeed debatable whether the 49ers will have much urgency to re-sign Hufanga after a 2024 season derailed by injuries. On the other hand, it is unfair to label the rest of the options at the position a question-mark following Malik Mustapha's impressive rookie season.

The doubt surrounds 2023 third-round pick Ji'Ayir Brown, who failed to build on his strong rookie year and was in and out of the lineup late in the season when Hufanga was healthy.

Starks has the all-round skill set to not only shore up, but significantly upgrade the position for the 49ers, improving a young secondary that already has several exciting young pieces.

The need might not be as great as in other areas, but taking a talent like Starks, who is still only 21, would be justifiable.

It is the second-round pick that would likely attract more scrutiny, with the 49ers ignoring their top three needs to take Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas.

San Francisco took a Florida State corner in the second round last year and the results in Renardo Green's rookie year were very impressive.

Green will almost certainly start for the 49ers in 2025 along with Deommodore Lenoir, whom they extended during the 2024 season. With Charvarius Ward seemingly set to leave in free agency, there is a need for a third corner to play outside on nickel downs when Lenoir kicks inside.

Thomas has the frame to play that role at 6ft 2in and 198 pounds and has displayed the ability to make plays on the ball and have an impact as a physical run defender.

But unless the 49ers make some big-time moves to address both sides of the trenches in free agency, using the first two picks of the draft on the secondary would attract a lot of bemusement.

49ers see two of their recent draft picks head to NFC rivals, with one significant disappointment getting a third chance

They won’t lose any sleep over either move.