The San Francisco 49ers will need several players to elevate their play in the second half of the season if they hope to keep pace with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in a tight NFC West race. The defense, in particular, must improve after Sunday's disappointing loss to the Rams if the team plans to make a serious playoff push.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox predicted one breakout player for each NFL team in the final stretch of the 2025 season, and his pick for the 49ers was defensive end Keion White.


"Edge-rusher Keion White had fallen out of favor with the Patriots this season and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the deadline," Knox explained. "In San Francisco, he's being challenged to help replace injured pass-rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams."

Both Bosa and Williams suffered season-ending ACL injuries, leaving San Francisco's pass rush dangerously thin. While Bryce Huff recently returned from a hamstring injury, Knox believes it's White who could emerge as the 49ers' breakout player in the season's final seven games.

"So far, White has impressed," Knox added. "He logged a tackle, a half-sack and a quarterback hit in his second game as a 49er, and he should continue to make his presence felt moving forward."

Last season, White recorded a career-high five sacks with the New England Patriots, showing flashes of his disruptive potential. Now, the 49ers are counting on him to help stabilize a defense that has been ravaged by injuries to key starters.

Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2023, White has tallied 89 tackles (10 for loss), 22 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, eight passes defensed, and two forced fumbles, and San Francisco hopes he's ready for a breakout run.

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