Having clinched a playoff spot for three seasons in a row from 2021 to 2023, Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers aren’t used to sitting idly during the postseason. Yet, after a disappointing 6-11 record, the 49ers had no choice but to watch and wait for an opportunity to improve their roster.
The good news is that the 49ers will get their chance to make roster upgrades very soon. First comes free agency, then the 2025 NFL Draft, where the 49ers hold the 11th overall pick.
Who should the 49ers select with their first-round draft pick?
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San Francisco 49ers mock draft targets tight end Tyler Warren
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has assembled a strong roster filled with star talent. Yet, the 49ers must also keep an eye on the future, being ready to replace aging talent once the players either become too expensive or too much of a liability.
Recently, The Athletic’s beat writers performed a 2025 NFL mock draft. In doing so, 49ers insider Matt Barrows projected the 49ers to find their eventual George Kittle replacement with the 11th overall pick in the first round.
“Yes, there are bigger needs along San Francisco’s offensive and defensive lines, but Kyle Shanahan would have a hard time turning down a chess piece like (Tyler) Warren. With one versatile weapon, Deebo Samuel, likely on his way out and another, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, approaching his 33rd birthday, Shanahan could be craving someone he can line up all over the field. That Warren is big and physical enough to play inline also could save George Kittle some of those snaps and prolong his career. For years, the 49ers have been eying an Aaron Hernandez-Rob Gronkowski-like personnel group. A Kittle-Warren duo? That would drive defensive coordinators mad.”
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Selecting Warren wouldn’t have to push Kittle out right away. In a perfect world, they would work in a tandem, which should make life easier on both of them.
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