When it comes to anchoring the defensive line for the San Francisco 49ers, few compliments carry more weight than being compared to franchise legend Bryant Young—a Hall of Fame player who was a force in the trenches throughout his prestigious career. FOX Sports analyst Rob Rang recently made such a comparison while evaluating 49ers second-round draft pick Alfred Collins.
"Given the dominance of San Francisco's defensive line over the past quarter-century, it might surprise you to learn that the 49ers haven't produced a defensive tackle with more than one Pro Bowl to their credit since Young was honored after the 2001 and 2002 campaigns," Rang noted.
49ers fans would welcome Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades in Collins' future. The team has been seeking long-term stability along the interior of the defensive front and invested heavily in the 2025 draft, selecting both Collins and CJ West to reshape the position.
Rang sees promising flashes of Young in Collins.
"Young was big and powerful, but also surprisingly agile and a very instinctive defender," Rang explained. "Collins is still figuring things out, but his physical traits are like something generated on AI. If the 49ers hit on him, they truly will have struck gold."
Young, who played all 14 of his NFL seasons with San Francisco, retired with 627 tackles (93 for a loss), 89.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and 20 passes defensed across 208 games. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 and remains a gold standard in the Bay Area.
The 49ers hope Collins can help revive a defensive front that struggled mightily against the run last season. The unit earned a 54.6 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 28th in the NFL. In contrast, Collins posted a career-best 85.1 run-defense grade and an overall defensive grade of 87.3 during his final collegiate season at Texas.
While it's far too early to crown Collins as the next Bryant Young, if he lives up to even a portion of his potential, the 49ers may have found a cornerstone in the trenches for years to come.