The San Francisco haven't picked in the top 12 of an NFL Draft since 2021, when they traded up from 12 to 3 to select quarterback Trey Lance.

It became clear in the space of a few seasons that the 49ers would have been better off staying at 12, and potentially bolstering either side of the trenches by selecting Micah Parsons or Rashawn Slater.

This season, the 49ers are set to pick 11th in the class and, while a dramatic move up the board for a talent like Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter may be tempting, it is more likely San Francisco stays put.

And draft analyst Lance Zierlein has them reaping the rewards of doing so in his first mock for NFL.com.

Zierlein has Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham somehow falling into the 49ers' grasp at 11.

That would be a dream scenario for a 49ers team that desperately needs help at defensive tackle, a position that was their biggest area of weakness defensively in 2024 and one from which they are set to lose Javon Hargrave. The 49ers will release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation this offseason.

Graham is viewed by many as a top-five prospect in this draft, and his arrival would greatly improve the 49ers' interior defensive line in both rushing the passer and stopping the run.

In the 2024 season, Graham ranked 10th in total pressures (34) and ninth in pass rush win rate (13.8%) among defensive tackles with at least 100 pass rush snaps in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus.

More pertinently for a 49ers team that was dreadful stopping the run this past season, Graham was PFF's highest-graded interior defensive lineman against the rush. His 25 run stops that represented a failure for the offense ranked seventh while his run stop rate of 12 percent ranked eighth for defensive tackles (min. 100 run defense snaps).

A to Z Sports' Ryan Roberts writes of the former Wolverine: "Graham would be best served as a versatile three technique in a four-man front, utilizing his penetration upside. There aren’t many easier evaluations in the 2025 NFL Draft class than Graham. He has a future Pro Bowler written all over him."

After missing out on a perennial Pro Bowler in Parsons a few years ago because of their ambitious trade up for Lance, the 49ers would be delighted to stay at 11 and land a talent with that kind of upside this time around. If a scenario comes to pass in which Graham is somehow still on the board at 11, the 49ers would surely ring the pick in instantly.

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