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Projecting the 49ers' Defensive Depth Chart for 2025 Before the Draft

Of course, next month's draft will shape the roster dramatically.

Grant Cohn

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts after making a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts after making a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
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We just projected the 49ers' offensive depth chart for 2025, so let's project their defensive depth chart as well. Of course, next month's draft will shape the roster dramatically.

Defensive linemen (9): Nick Bosa, Jordan Elliott, Rookie, Yetur Gross-Matos, Rookie, Kevin Givens, Evan Anderson, Kalia Davis, Sam Okuayinonu.

Analysis: Gross-Matos has the sixth-highest cap hit on the team this year, which indicates the 49ers expect him to play a lot. He probably will start at defensive end and move to defensive tackle on third downs. Meanwhile, look for the 49ers to draft a Day 1 starter at defensive tackle plus a defensive end who can rush the quarterback when Gross-Matos moves inside.

Linebackers (6): Fred Warner, Rookie, Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune, Curtin Robinson, Luke Gifford.

Analysis: The 49ers clearly wanted to re-sign Dre Greenlaw -- that's why John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan flew to his house in Texas to try to change his mind after he agreed to a deal with the Broncos. Now, the 49ers have to draft a Day 1 starter to replace him. Don't be surprised if they take that player as early as Round 1.

Cornerbacks (6): Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Rookie, Darrell Luter Jr., Siran Neal, Tre Brown.

Analysis: Renardo Green will replace Charvarius Ward in the starting lineup, and a rookie most likely will replace Isaac Yiadom as the No. 3 corner in the nickel defense. Darrell Luter Jr. and Tre Brown will compete for the job as well while Neal will play special teams.

Safeties (4): Malik Mustapha, Jason Pinnock, Ji'Ayir Brown, George Odum.

Analysis: Pinnock is faster than Brown and has a higher cap hit than him, which probably indicates that he's the favorite to start next to Mustapha at free safety. Odum is a special-teams specialist.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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