NFL Draft analyst says under-the-radar rookie can steal a starting job and help 49ers fix major weakness from last year
The San Francisco 49ers officially have its eye on the 2025 season now that the draft is over, but problems from last year still linger simply because Kyle Shanahan and Co. obviously haven't had the opportunity to prove otherwise.One of said issues is the run defense. The 49ers allowed opponents to run for 124.6 yards […]
The San Francisco 49ers officially have its eye on the 2025 season now that the draft is over, but problems from last year still linger simply because Kyle Shanahan and Co. obviously haven't had the opportunity to prove otherwise.
One of said issues is the run defense. The 49ers allowed opponents to run for 124.6 yards per game in 2024, which ranked 18th. Things got really bad over the final three games of the year where the defense allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game at 156.3 per contest. It was a stark falloff from 2023 where the defense gave up the fifth-fewest yards per game at 98.7.
Fixing the run defense won't be an easy task, especially when considering the amount of rookies the 9ers are going to rely on. However, NFL.com's top draft analyst Chad Reuter believes fourth-round pick CJ West has a chance to step up and play a key role in helping turn things around.
West recently made Reuter's list of Day 3 picks that could earn starting snaps in 2025 and it's easy to see why when zooming out and surveying the landscape that is the 49ers defensive line room.
The 49ers spent two picks in the first two rounds (Mykel Williams in the first and Alfred Collins the second) to bolster their thin D-line, and they continued the trend with West in Round 4. While Collins is a tall people-mover, West is a 6-foot-1, low center-of-gravity nose tackle with quick enough feet and hands to defeat blocks, making him a top-notch run defender. – Chad Reuter, NFL.com
The defensive tackle position is nowhere near settled, leaving the door open for West to climb the depth chart
West's main challengers for starting snaps are first-round rookie Alfred Collins and then veterans Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens. Elliott is the only one with significant starting experience under his belt and even then he played less than 50% of defensive snaps when on the field in 2023 and 2024. He's definitely better suited for a rotational role.
There's certainly a world where West can come in and not only push those guys for starting snaps, but earn them. West's natural strengths as a run defender also give him a leg-up, as defensive linemen who are mostly seen as run defenders receive the "early-down work", which is more likely to be run plays since runs are more likely to be called on first and second down. And, as we all know, a player gets the start for game(s) in which they're on the field for the first offensive/defensive snap.
He doesn't have the size teams covet at 6-foot-2, 315 pounds, but he uses his lower center of gravity to beat blockers and his motor is off the charts. He also has good twitch and quickness at his size, which leaves some room to improve his pass rush game. West was absolutely pivotal in forming the Hoosiers' top-ranked run defense in 2024 and the 9ers are hoping he can bring that over to the Bay in 2025 and beyond.
