Pro Football Focus (PFF) contributor Mark Chichester evaluated every team's 2025 NFL Draft class to identify each franchise's biggest steal and biggest reach. To accomplish this, he compared each player's draft position to their ranking on PFF's big board, highlighting selections that offered strong value or questionable reach based on pre-draft evaluations.
"It is essential to note that this is not a judgment; it serves merely as a reference point," Chichester clarified. "After all, taking the 10th-ranked player at No. 11 is hardly a steal, just as grabbing the 25th-ranked player at No. 20 isn't really a reach."
.@PFF evaluated the value of each #49ers draft pick by comparing their selection spot to their ranking on the site's big board. Green indicates a steal; red indicates a reach. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/H9qZZbjPw6
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) April 30, 2025
According to the analytics site, former Iowa guard Connor Colby was the 49ers' biggest steal. He was ranked No. 198 on PFF's big board but was selected in the seventh round with the No. 249 overall pick.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman started 50 games during his college career, including 44 at guard. In 2024, he allowed just two sacks and 10 pressures over 316 pass-blocking snaps (743 total).
The 49ers' second-best value pick was former Indiana defensive tackle CJ West, who ranked No. 72 on PFF's big board but wasn't selected until the fourth round at No. 113 overall.
On the other end of the spectrum, former Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin was labeled the team's biggest reach. San Francisco selected him in the third round at No. 75 overall, despite a No. 198 ranking on PFF's board—123 spots lower.
Martin missed seven games in 2024 due to a knee injury but still tallied 47 tackles (eight for a loss), a sack, and two passes defensed. However, in 2023, he posted an impressive 140 tackles (16 for a loss), six interceptions, and two pass breakups over 14 starts.