NFL Draft countdown: Focus on 49ers' first-round pick at No. 11

The 2025 NFL Draft is now 11 days away.  

After losing 17 free agents, the 49ers are looking to add young, inexpensive talent with pick No. 11. They’ve been linked to these players in various mock drafts.

DT Walter Nolen | Ole Miss

ESPN’s Field Yates describes Nolen as “overwhelmingly powerful and explosive” and believes the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Rebel could help replace veterans Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave who signed with the Browns and Vikings, respectively.

Nolen had 66 tackles and five sacks in two seasons with Texas A&M before transferring to Ole Miss, where he played multiple positions while posting a career-high 48 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2024.

San Francisco’s defense fell off in 2024, giving up the fourth-most yards per game (25.6) after giving up the third-fewest points per game (17.6) in 2023. Nolan alone won’t fix all the team’s defensive problems, but lining him up next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nick Bosa couldn’t hurt.

DE Mykel Williams | Georgia

While citing San Francisco’s defensive losses, NBC Sports’ Kyle Dvorchak notes the team fielded a below-average pass-rush last year by pressure and sack rate. He also thinks Williams would thrive playing opposite Bosa.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge-rusher had 65 tackles and 14 sacks in three years as a Bulldog and earned second team All-SEC honors in 2023 and 2024. Williams is a talented, hard-working athlete with range and quickness that enables him to cover lots of ground, although many believe he’lll need to increase his upper body strength to consistently shed blocks.

NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein sees Williams as an upside prospect who needs more snaps and time to fill out his frame. “He’s not there yet,” Zierlein says, “but Williams’ improvement to become an impactful 4-3 base end feels inevitable.”

CB Jahdae Barron | Texas

As si.com’s Gilberto Manzano points out, San Francisco’s secondary lost cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency. At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Barron may not possess elite athleticism, but Manzano calls Barron “a do-it-all defensive back capable of racking up interceptions.”