This week, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham a "dream scenario" for the San Francisco 49ers if he fell to the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"If you are looking for someone who I think would be a home run pick for them, what's the dream scenario?" Jeremiah said Thursday during a conference call with the media. "To me, it would be if Mason Graham were to fall down to them where they could scoop him up and pick him up."
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Realistically, that scenario may not happen. Many expect Graham to be off the board before general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are on the clock. That's why one Pro Football Focus analyst suggests the 49ers make a bold move to land him.
On February 9, Trevor Sikkema released a mock draft projecting the 49ers would trade wide receiver Deebo Samuel and the 11th overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the 5th overall pick, positioning them to select Graham.
Sikkema elaborated on his reasoning Thursday during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
"So the 49ers, they're a team that has sneaky trench needs on both sides of the ball," Sikkema explained. "And when we think of the 49ers, we think of how powerful they have been, how good they have been in the run game, the offensive line in previous seasons, and then the defensive line as well."
He noted that the 49ers' defensive line once featured several recognizable names, but that's no longer true. The front underperformed this past season and could use an upgrade.
"And so, when I look at them picking at No. 11, if they've got the opportunity to jump up for one of the few blue-chip guys in the trenches in this draft, I like that strategy," Sikkema added. "For them to be able to move up from No. 11 to No. 5, it probably won't cost them too much.
"And if they can get a guy like Mason Graham, to me, that's exactly what they need. He's just an absolute animal in the interior, an elite run defender in back-to-back years. And even with his small arms, I think that he's got the opportunity to be a pass rusher at the NFL level because of how explosive he is."