"Not long ago, the 49ers fielded one of the more impressive defensive lines in football," Locker wrote. "But as Robert Saleh begins his second tenure as San Francisco's defensive coordinator, that couldn't be any further from the truth."
This offseason, the 49ers moved on from key defensive linemen Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd as part of a broader effort to trim future cash spending. The team was willing to absorb significant dead cap space in the process. According to Over The Cap, San Francisco enters the 2025 season with a league-high $81 million in dead money, nearly $14 million more than any other NFL team.
Much of the financial reset was aimed at creating room to extend quarterback Brock Purdy, while positioning the franchise to (hopefully) stay competitive in the years to come.
However, the defensive line—already viewed as a unit needing an upgrade—was hit hardest by the cap-clearing moves.
"Nick Bosa remains one of the NFL's most formidable defensive linemen, but there's hardly any talent currently standing around him following the exits of Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd," Locker continued. "In fact, besides Bosa, no 49ers returning defensive lineman totaled even 25 quarterback pressures last season."
Most analysts expect San Francisco to prioritize the defensive line early in the draft, using multiple picks to strengthen the group. The 49ers currently hold 11 total selections, including the 11th overall pick in the first round.
"San Francisco could use another dynamic edge defender as well as multiple effective players on the inside," Locker concluded, "and general manager John Lynch would be smart to take one of each before the end of Day 2."
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