49ers rookie D-lineman CJ West expected to earn key 2025 role

CBS Sports analyst Chris Trapasso recently highlighted several rookies drafted outside the first round who could make a significant impact during the 2025 NFL season. One name on his list: San Francisco 49ers fourth-round pick CJ West, a defensive tackle who's expected to play a key role in the team's rebuilt defensive line.

West, part of a major interior line overhaul, impressed Trapasso with his athleticism. At 6-foot-1 and 315 pounds, he clocked a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine—a strong showing for a player of his size.

"West was as advanced of a run-stuffer as there was at defensive tackle in the 2025 class," Trapasso wrote. "He's ready to go in that area of the game, and based on the 49ers' other selections, improving the run defense was the club's core philosophy in the 2025 draft."

The 49ers selected three defensive linemen in this year's draft, all of whom earned Pro Football Focus run-defense grades of 82.9 or higher in 2024. West led the group with a dominant 88.1 grade. That emphasis on bolstering the interior comes after a disappointing 2024 season in which the 49ers posted a run-defense grade of just 54.6, ranking 28th in the NFL.

West has been receiving significant practice reps during the 49ers' organized team activities, with second-round pick Alfred Collins remaining sidelined as he recovers from a calf injury that was reaggravated before the draft.

"The former Indiana star is an ascending pass-rusher, too, because along with the heavy hands he deploys to toss blockers ahead to halt the run, he has twitch when attacking upfield," Trapasso added.

He notes the 49ers have lacked a true three-down interior lineman capable of consistently disrupting the pocket.

"The 49ers don't have a primary interior rusher who can stay on the field for three downs and routinely win," Trapasso wrote. "Well, they didn't. They do now with West, whom they stole in the fourth round."