Matt Barrows, one of the 49ers reporters for The Athletic, is out with a new article looking at "Ben Bartch and 6 other little-known 49ers who could have big roles in 2025." In it, he details which players could break out and help the team compete in 2025, despite having a limited or nonexistent role in 2024.
Top of the list is Evan Anderson, the undrafted defensive tackle who, due to injuries, saw more snaps than expected last season. Anderson, who weighs nearly 360 pounds, could add size to a 49ers defensive line that has struggled to stop the run in recent years. However, it seems unlikely that he'll become anything more than a situational specialist in Robert Saleh's defense. Very few defensive linemen of his size (he's the second-heaviest in the NFL according to PFF) are on the field for the vast majority of snaps while maintaining a high level of play. The exceptions mostly being players with exceptional physical tools (and high draft pedigree) like Vita Via and Dexter Lawrence.
Perhaps most interesting on the list is Tatum Bethune. Bethune, now a second year player out of Florida State, will compete for the linebacker spot next to Fred Warner now that Dre Greenlaw has left for the Denver Broncos. He has very similar size to Greenlaw, and was described before the draft as an instinctive, quick linebacker who often puts himself in the right position to make plays. But his straight-line speed is very underwhelming, running only a 4.77 40-yard dash. While he graded out well in his limited snaps last year, according to PFF, most of those snaps came in garbage time. At bottom, Bethune may just not clear the physical threshold necessary to succeed as a linebacker in the modern NFL, instincts and work ethic notwithstanding.
With a mass exodus from the roster this offseason, the 49ers need some lesser-known players to step up if the team hopes to compete in 2025. But as the examples of Anderson and Bethune show, the 49ers don't exactly have a rolodex of first round draft picks waiting in the wings for their chance to start. Largely because of the Trey Lance trade, many players filling out the team's depth chart lack the physical skills of high-end NFL starters. It doesn't mean they can't succeed, but odds are the 49ers can't rely on any more than one or two of them to make an impact in 2025.