On Thursday night, in round 1 the San Francisco 49ers selected Mykel Williams with the no.11 pick out of Georgia. With three picks on Friday night, the 43rd, 75th, and 100th, General Manager John Lynch once again made the choice to improve on a defense that struggled mightily in 2024.
With the 43rd pick of the draft, Alfred Collins a defensive tackle out of the University of Texas was taken.
Collins made a name for himself in 2024. As he set a career-high with 55 tackles including six for losses and seven passes defended. Also, he had one sack, and a forced fumble. In the 64 games he appeared in he recorded a total of 141 with 18 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 12 passes defended, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
At draft combine he was measured at 6’6″ and 332 pounds. According to one NFC personnel director “he’s a legit specimen. With the right coaching he could end up taking off and becoming the best interior player in this class.”
Pick no.75 was linebacker Nick Martin out of Oklahoma State University.
Here is where things getting interesting for Lynch and the 49ers. Martin had a monstrous 2023 season in which he recorded 140 tackles including 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. In 2024, he only played in five games due to a knee injury and registered 47 tackles including eight for losses, a sack, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Martin is undersized at the linebacker position and according to his scouting report he is not particularly good in coverage and he has the propensity to miss tackles.
No.100 was cornerback Upton Stout out of Western Kentucky University.
After transferring from North Texas, to Western Kentucky, Stout had his best season in 2022. Where he recorded 44 tackles with one for a loss, four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, and two passes defended.
Here is a look at the reactions to the picks of Collins, Martin, and Stout on social media.
#49ers Day 2 review:
Texas DT Alfred Collins: “Huge, huge human being.”
Oklahoma State LB Nick Martin: “Kind of mimics Dre in a lot of ways.”
Western Kentucky CB Upton Stout: “Heart of a lion.”https://t.co/HevoPmd8Yr pic.twitter.com/Gq9PqL8CFq
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) April 26, 2025
If you dont like the Alfred Collins pick, I dont know what to tell you.
He had 27 solo tackles and 7 PBUs which was 5th on the team as a DT! Space eating stud. Good luck running on this team now with Collins and Williams added. https://t.co/1R1IMX1JK8
— Jessie🎙 (@JNay_LSS) April 26, 2025
43. San Francisco 49ers – Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
•Grade: B
•Pros: Versatile defensive lineman with size and strength; effective against the run.
•Cons: Pass-rushing skills need refinement.
•Stats: Specific collegiate statistics not provided in the available sources. pic.twitter.com/xc6adIbaSw— Gridiron State (@GridironState) April 26, 2025
@sportslarryk Nick Martin ran down Xavier Worthy in the Big 12 champ game. SPEED! ❤️💛
— Donny (@donnyc99) April 26, 2025
nick martin is the second fasted lb in this draft thats been drafted so far and a great tackler which we need dudes not 6th round, people also said we reached for fred warner back in the day, everyone had him lower on the draft boards, this FO found greenlaw and warner so
— Anthony Gonter (@Stargate476) April 26, 2025
There has not been a better cornerback in Mobile this week than WKU’s Upton Stout. This dude is gonna play in the nickel for 7-10 years. pic.twitter.com/wJpfe0M8jV
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) January 31, 2025
🚨SLEEPER ALERT: Some guys just jump off tape because of their play style and that’s exactly what WKU CB Upton Stout (5081v, 189v) does. Urgent, triggers, & packs more punch than smallish measurables. NFL scouts have called us about him. Kid is a dog!#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/JKC5cxWCIW
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) October 17, 2024