49ers riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseason

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will be banking on the offense getting things done with the guys in-house. If you look at Pro Football Focus, a very reliable source, the 49ers didn’t approach things very well. PFF gave the team a grade of D.

“Overall, the 49ers appeared to get worse this offseason,” PFF wrote. “Getting Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator could be a big positive, as he had success in that position with this very regime. But outside of that, the team lost Dre Greenlaw, Deebo Samuel, and Talanoa Hufanga. And (the 49ers) didn’t meaningfully address their offensive line.

“San Francisco’s draft was heavily focused on improving in run defense, which was needed after they finished 2025 with a 54.6 team PFF grade in that facet. The 49ers’ floor might be higher, but their ceiling seems lower.”

Here’s a big problem for the 49ers ignoring their offensive line. They just signed quarterback Brock Purdy to a five-year, $265 million extension. Uniquely, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft became the highest-paid player in 49ers history.

But the 49ers have gambled by not building a fortress around Purdy. That’s especially a big risk because many don’t see Purdy as worthy of such a huge contract, according to cbssports.com.

“The 49ers made a questionable decision in signing Purdy to a five-year, $265 million extension,” Jeff Purdy wrote. “Although they were in a pickle no matter what decision they made. San Francisco could have either paid Purdy heading into the last year of his rookie contract or moved on and signed another quarterback this offseason.

“They decided to pay Purdy significantly more than what he’s worth. When Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle all played, Purdy was 17-4 and threw 38 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. In any other game, Purdy was 10-11 with 30 touchdowns to 18 interceptions — a significant drop off.”

The problem with the 49ers draft

The biggest issue didn’t come from their first pick. They got a potential stud pass rusher in Mykel Williams.

However, they passed on getting wide receiver talent to help Purdy. In Round 2. the 49ers passed up a chance to get either Tre Harris (Chargers) or Jack Bech (Raiders). In the third round, they didn’t go for Jaylin Noel (Texans) or Savion Williams (Packers).

It remains to be seen what the 49ers receivers will look like this year. Will Brandon Aiyuk recover well enough from his ACL injury to have a banner year? Is Jauan Jennings ready to be a legitimate WR2? And is Ricky Pearsall on the verge of a breakout season?

The 49ers better hope all of those things happen.

Listening to the “experts,” some of them liked what the 49ers did with their picks, according to 49ers.com.

“The 49ers used their first five picks on defense before finally pivoting to the offensive side on Day 3,” Eric Edholm of the NFL Network wrote. “It was not a shocking approach for a team whose depth chart felt pretty lean after the roster was raided in free agency. We’ll see if the Niners plugged enough holes this offseason, but they allocated their resources well, I think.”

“The 49ers were so happy to have Robert Saleh back, they made their first five picks on the defensive side of the ball,” David Helman of Fox Sports wrote. “That feels like the right way to play it. San Francisco’s issues on offense are mainly health-related. It’s the defense that needed an infusion of young talent if the Niners are going to get back to contending.”

What about momentum from last year?

But remember, the 49ers didn’t get it done on offense last season. As they collapsed down the stretch, losing seven of eight games, here were their point totals 17, 10, 10, 38, 6, 17, 34, and 24. That doesn’t look like a team that has its offensive situation figured out.

Yes, injuries played a role. But that type of finish screams a team that needs help in the draft. Maybe the 49ers will get a lift from fifth-round pick Jordan James, according to espn.com.

“James is a tough and powerful runner with a low center of gravity,” Steve Muench wrote. “He runs behind his pads and delivers blows at the point of contact. (Also,) he makes late cuts and has the foot speed to slalom through traffic. He breaks tackles in space, makes defenders miss, and reaches his top-end speed quickly after the catch.”

Sounds good. Let’s see if the overall gamble pays off.