49ers receive surprising draft grade from CBS Sports

While Pro Football Focus and Sports Illustrated weren't impressed with the San Francisco 49ers' 2025 draft haul, CBS Sports had a different take. The 49ers made 11 selections, but both PFF and SI gave general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan a disappointing "D" grade—among the lowest handed out across the league.

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports wasn't as critical, awarding the 49ers one of the best grades in the NFL. He highlighted his favorite pick, the best value selection, and the most surprising addition.

San Francisco was one of five teams that earned an "A+" grade from Wilson. His favorite pick? Defensive tackle Alfred Collins, the second-round selection out of Texas.

"Good luck finding someone who knocks down more passes at the line of scrimmage than Alfred Collins," Wilson wrote. "He's twitchy for his size and can shoot gaps with a quick first step and great hand usage. He can also win with power, is hard to move off the spot and is a high-motor player who will run sideline-to-sideline to get to the ball."

Wilson identified defensive tackle CJ West, a fourth-round pick out of Indiana, as the team's best value selection. West was part of a clear effort to restock a defensive line that lost several key contributors this offseason.

"CJ West is as juiced-up a defensive lineman as there is in this class," Wilson explained. "He slipped to the fourth round because he's just 6-foot-1 and has 31.5-inch arms, but as former Titans general manager Ran Carthon, my co-host on 'With the First Pick,' pointed out, West is a carbon copy of DJ Jones."

Carthon, also a former 49ers executive, isn't the only one to make that comparison. San Francisco's general manager, John Lynch, revealed that defensive line coach Kris Kocurek also saw shades of Jones in West during pre-draft evaluations.

As for the most surprising pick, Wilson pointed to former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who was selected in the seventh round.

"It's never really a surprise when the 49ers take a flier on a quarterback, and Kurtis Rourke certainly fits the mold of what [head coach] Kyle Shanahan might be looking for," Wilson noted. "But they took the Indiana signal-caller in the seventh round, four picks before the Dolphins selected Quinn Ewers."

Rourke battled through an ACL injury last season before undergoing surgery in January, and Lynch made it clear the 49ers are focused on his long-term potential.

"We took him with the understanding that he's not going to likely be cleared until training camp," Lynch said, "but we just felt like there was a lot of talent, a lot of ability. The guy plays the game the right way, and you can't have enough good quarterbacks."

Shanahan added that Rourke may have been drafted much earlier if not for the injury. With Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and Tanner Mordecai already on the roster, the 49ers can afford to be patient as he recovers.