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

I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

And RPOs were somehow magic.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

Agreed

Originally posted by DonnieDarko:

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

Agreed

Me too,

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

Agreed, although I think West is going to surprise a lot of people on passing downs too.

Originally posted by Scoots:
I didn't say you said anything about Buckner, I said "if you are comparing" ... "if". Buckner is the last 49ers DT who was a good run defending and pass rushing DT.

If Collins is a 2 down DT then for the pick to make sense he better be a truly great 2 down DT.

Alan Branch was the 33rd pick.
Linval Joseph was the 46th pick
Kenny Clark was the 27th pick

Similar players picked around the same area.

I completely see the value in the theoretically Collins. Where the Collins pick becomes a little bit of a problem is when they took West in the 4th. West is more of a 0 and 1 tech so they don't play the same, but I wonder if they knew West was going to be available in the 4th if they would have taken Collins in the 2nd. I think they probably would have

Clark had almost twice as many pass rushing snaps this yr compared to run D. I wouldn't call him a 2 down DT.

He's gonna have to become a legit 3 down DT to justify the pick imo. Would you call drafting A'Shawn Robinson in the top 43 a solid pick? For me in this type of draft, no.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Matt Barrows on Alfred Collins:

"Alfred Collins not only was a second round pick, he was a high second round pick and he's behind Mykel Williams and CJ West. He's even behind Sebastian Valdez, who's a undrafted guy…

He's behind and he looks behind (due to missing minicamp). I… pic.twitter.com/7S4Vrw69mP

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 3, 2025

I'm not surprised he's not having a good camp. Missing OTAs is a massive deal as a rookie. He's trying to soak up a new coach, new scheme, build chemistry with new teammates, apply new techniques, learn new assignments and different methods of defending runs, etc. It's a lot to try to soak up. Things on the field are happening fast, and he's probably overthinking everything right now.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

Collapsing the pocket and creating pressure is a trait of being a good pass rusher, especially in the interior. No one is saying either guy needs 10+ sacks a yr to qualify as a good pass rusher.

this scheme requires guys that can get off the LOS quickly and get upfield fast. That's why they talk about "get off"

if the plan was to have Collins be a run stuffer and nothing else, imo that's poor value at pick 43. You can find big IDL to be 2-down run stuffers.

Hopefully Collins can develop because they are in massively thin at IDL that can rush the passer right now

Certainly wish all our rookies were popping off and looking great but if there was one I'd understand it's Collins having missed the earlier parts of workouts as a rookie. As others have mentioned that significant. Mental reps only take you so far.

Plus Collins overall wasn't expected to come in looking like Chris Jones from the jump. Hell Chris Jones wasn't Chris Jones from the start.

I've seen some promising comments on the kid showing progress which is all that you want to see from him right now. At minimum I think he'll give us a big presence in the middle as a run defender. If he keeps developing and working we could get the well rounded DT we wanted down the road.

Originally posted by zeppfan1:
Agreed, although I think West is going to surprise a lot of people on passing downs too.

Idk about passing downs. Only way I'm seeing him getting to the qb is if they are under center. If Williams and Bosa can set the edge and keep the qb in the pocket I can see west generating pressure. I don't see him ever getting to a scrambling qb otherwise which seems to be half the league now

Originally posted by genus49:
Certainly wish all our rookies were popping off and looking great but if there was one I'd understand it's Collins having missed the earlier parts of workouts as a rookie. As others have mentioned that significant. Mental reps only take you so far.

Plus Collins overall wasn't expected to come in looking like Chris Jones from the jump. Hell Chris Jones wasn't Chris Jones from the start.

I've seen some promising comments on the kid showing progress which is all that you want to see from him right now. At minimum I think he'll give us a big presence in the middle as a run defender. If he keeps developing and working we could get the well rounded DT we wanted down the road.

The article also mentions the other rookies were in great shape, as compared to Collins who was getting winded.
I don't think much was said about being the last to sign as well which also could have led to missed time in actual football practice.

I'll just say it, I wish during that during the hold out if that's what we call it, the dude was working with a personal trainer getting in shape and working on his strength. We had Joe Williams drafted as a RB that reported out of shape, and the most famous WR bust AJ Jenkins also out of shape. There's an expectation that professional athletes train all year round but we've had a few unfortunately that just wanted to get drafted then that's it.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I don't care if Collins and West aren't great pass rushers. Their job will be to stop the run and collapse the pocket to allow the edge rushers to get to the QB. Last season we saw the QB step up into the pocket to escape the pass rush or run throught the middle for a first down. If they stop that it will make a huge difference this year.

When I've watched west tape, I see a talented pass disrupter. Idk what some are saying about him not being able to pass rush? He might not get a lot of sacks, guys are his position rarely do, but I think his tape shows he's good at disrupting the line and causing havoc - especially in the run game.

i feel like west is going to be a problem for offfenses in the pass game. I've never really understood the narrative that he can't pass rush but maybe I'm missing something?

I think west and Williams will be immediate three down guys. Collins will be solely a run stopper year one, that's been my take since we got them.

that doesn't mean west doesn't need to refine his skills, but I think he's very developed for a rookie, especially fourth round.

williams, west, upton, and nick will be immediate starters (nick as our third LB).

Expectations are more the higher the pick. Just like every other pick regardless of when they were picked, we will just have to wait and see. The best he can do is be ready and take advantage of every opportunity he gets. Bad timing that he was hurt and missed OTAs, but he needs to shine when he can. Anything less than that will mean he will get less and less opportunities.

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