49ers Training Camp: Could San Francisco start three rookies in their front seven in 2025?

USA Today

29-07-2025

The San Francisco 49ers are motoring through their 2025 training camp at the SAP Performance Facility next to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and that includes their first padded practice session of the year on Monday.
With pads on, coaches and players can get a much better idea of how they'll play in games than jerseys, pants and shells. That is especially true for the defense, as they can finally use some of that physicality when making tackles or taking on blockers.
Through five days of camp, the 49ers have had a few players stand out, but the three defensive linemen that they took in the first four rounds of the 2025 NFL draft - Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West - have stood out.
If they're all practicing like they have been, and it continues into the preseason games, they may all earn starting roles, or at least key rotational roles, when the regular season comes along.
Williams, 21, was San Francisco's first selection this year (No. 11 overall) after a two-time All-SEC career at Georgia that included a national championship. He should be the team's starting edge rusher opposite Nick Bosa, with Bryce Huff, who the 49ers acquired in a trade this offseason, likely playing a fair amount as well.
Collins, 23, played at Texas from 2020-24, earning All-SEC and All-American honors last year before the 49ers took him in the second round (No. 43 overall). At 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds, Collins is a physical presence, who entered training camp with the expectation that he'll push out one of Jordan Elliott or Kevin Givens in the interior defensive line.
West, 23, spent four seasons at Kent State (2020-23), where he earned All-MAC honors once, before transferring to Indiana for his final year in college. San Francisco took him in the fourth round (No. 113 overall) this year, and while many penciled him in as a backup in 2025, his performance on Monday have some questioning that decision.
Even defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had positive things to say about the former Hoosier after his dominance.
'He's like a little fire hydrant, right? He's powerful. He's got heavy hands,' Saleh said during his media availability after the session. 'He's going to be fine. He's like a lot of rookies, there are so many things that they're learning, especially on the interior of the D-Line where it's a game within a game. You know, the first thing they learn is pocket push and then they learn how to capture an edge and rush from there. I wasn't there. I heard he did a really nice job over there, but I'm excited to get to the tape to see it.'
With Williams all but guaranteed a starting role in Week 1, Collins and West are the questions of the trio. They'll have to do enough to unseat Elliott, who played 41.3% of defensive snaps last year and is entering the final year of a two-year, $7 million deal, and Givens, who played 17.3% of the snaps in 2024 and re-signed with San Francisco on a one-year, $2.05 million deal this offseason.
It's going to take a lot of work from the rookies, but if they keep this up, all three could be on the field for the first defensive snaps of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sep. 7. And, if that's the case, not only will it speak to the front office's impressive work, but it will also set them up with a strong base to build on for years to come.
However, it's still a little early for that. Let's let them get a second padded practice in before we put them down on the depth chart in permanent marker.
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