49ers select Alfred Collins-DT-Texas with the 43rd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft

Originally posted by captveg:

Originally posted by father49er:
You think the 9ers are worried about stopping the run?

Gotta stop the Brotherly Shove.

Gotta hold ground on duo-blocks. I see Alfred splitting a few duo-blocks for TFLs.

Beef steak

Originally posted by Montana:
Beef steak

Texas beef.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by Hysterikal:
We are building the "you shall not run" line and I'm about it

330 pounds in the middle, 270 on both edges, they're getting back to playing big boy football.

Agreed. Saleh is all over these picks no doubt at all

Highly recruited out of the Austin area, he was given an "underachiever" label by some while playing behind T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy III in 2023.

I don't like the pick. Too one dimensional. Has to come out on passing downs which nfl offenses do 70% of the time. We could have gotten a massive guy like this in the 6th.

Originally posted by Wolf_Packer_53:
Love this pick! Booger McFarland said Collins reminds him of Chris Jones 😳

Collins in between Chester McGlockton and Leonard Wiliams!!

Love the PICK !!!

I like this

Originally posted by NYniner85:
Got some beef

Weren't you just saying we don't draft 6'6, 335 pound tackles when we were discussing Kenneth Grant?

Something along the lines of we will only draft penetrators?

Well there does that

Originally posted by Hysterikal:
We are building the "you shall not run" line and I'm about it

Absolutely 💯

Don't hate the pick but it feels like some of the other DT's available had better all-around ability.

Originally posted by Chance:
Help me love this pick.

DT8 for Brugler.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/the-beast/2025/player/alfred_collins-defensive_tackle-AcZUHodbdZogMuLV/
Overview

hometown
Bastrop, TX
high school
Cedar Creek
birthday
Oct. 8, 2001
jersey
#95

A one-year starter at Texas, Collins played nose tackle in defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's front, although he saw most of his 2024 snaps over the B-gap (299, compared to 145 over the A-gap and 129 over the tackle). Highly recruited out of the Austin area, he was given an "underachiever" label by some while playing behind T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy III in 2023, but he played his best ball in 2024 with starting-level snaps.

A coordinated big man, Collins plays with natural power and does a great job as a two-gapper, stacking, peeking and grounding ball carriers between the tackles. His hands are more heavy than disciplined, and he struggles to root himself versus doubles because of his tall pads. Overall, Collins is still learning how to maximize his size and talent, but he took a sizable jump this past season and shows the physical traits to be a disruptive force, especially against the run. He will provide immediate depth as a rookie, and his snap count should increase with experience.

grade2nd–3rd Round

Strengths
Broad-framed with exceptional height-weight-length combination
Creates movement with natural power behind swats/strikes
Uses wide base, body control and long arms to leverage blockers off balance
Can get blockers moving one way before cutting back toward the pocket
Agile-footed for his size, with the tools to play multiple gaps and flatten down the line
Elite tackle-to-missed tackle ratio in 2024 (55:2)
Matured play recognition helps him cover more ground than expected (see forced fumble on 2024 Arkansas tape)
Blocked a field goal as senior; six batted passes at line in 2024 tied for No. 2 in FBS
Played more snaps in 2024 but effort level didn't decline
Proven durability — played in 64 of 65 games over five years in Austin

Weaknesses
Comes off ball tall and will struggle to get underneath blocks
Leggy; high center disrupts his ability to quickly change directions
Plays hard but too much wasted movement in his hands trying to wrestle free
Not consistently explosive separating from blocks, especially later in games
When given chances to rush the passer, his moves lacked efficiency with inconsistent counters
Missed part of the draft process because of a left calf strain
Played only one season as a full-time starter

Background
Alfred Collins, the second of four children (three girls, one boy), was born and raised just outside of Austin, Texas, with his parents (Bernard and Benita). His mother, who teaches math in the Bastrop school district, played college basketball at Texas (1990-94) and received a degree in 2003. Collins' older sister (Kennedy) surpassed 1,000 career points at Cedar Creek High and played collegiately at Houston Baptist (2015-19). His cousin (Trent Brown), a Bastrop native, is a 10-year NFL offensive tackle and has played for the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals. Growing up, Collins was a standout basketball and football player.

Collins attended Cedar Creek High, which didn't have a varsity football program until 2012. He played on the offensive and defensive lines on the freshman team in 2016. As a sophomore, Collins moved up to varsity as a defensive end and was named the district's newcomer of the year (75 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles). He had a breakout junior season and took home honorable mention all-state, first-team all-district and district defensive lineman of the year honors. Collins finished the 2018 season with 92 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and six sacks. As a senior, he helped Cedar Creek to a 5-5 finish, the first non-losing season in school history. Collins posted 86 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and eight sacks, again earning first-team all-district and district defensive lineman of the year honors. He also lettered in basketball and track at Cedar Creek, averaging 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over his four-year varsity career on the hardcourt.

A four-star recruit, Collins was the second-ranked strongside defensive end in the 2020 recruiting class (behind 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy) and the No. 8 recruit in Texas. He was the No. 63 recruit nationally. He became well known on the recruiting trail after his sophomore season and helped himself at camps. The offers started to pour in during his junior year, and Collins narrowed his options to a top five of Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. Ultimately, he committed to Texas, the program he'd rooted for growing up and where his mother played college basketball. Collins was the second-ranked recruit (behind Bijan Robinson) in former head coach Tom Herman's 2020 class. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic and returned for his fifth season.

Collins was a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and graduated with a degree in human dimensions of organizations (May 2024). He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl but had to pull out of the event.

NFL.com's draft profile for him has Javon Kinlaw as a comparison,

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/alfred-collins/3200434f-4c48-0656-eb0f-b6c850a0a131

Originally posted by 9moon:

Originally posted by Wolf_Packer_53:
Love this pick! Booger McFarland said Collins reminds him of Chris Jones 😳

Collins in between Chester McGlockton and Leonard Wiliams!!

Love the PICK !!!

Uh, doesn't Chris Jones make a living getting to the Qb? Not sure about this comp

Seems to plug holes.