NFL analyst makes case for 49ers to trade up in 2025 Draft to get 6-foot-3, 320-pound star
Mason Graham could be just what the San Francisco 49ers need. PFF’s NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema is advocating for the 49ers to trade up six slots in the upcoming NFL draft to pick up the Michigan pass rusher.
“Well, there are actually not nearly as many names that you remember on the 49ers' offensive and defensive lines as there used to be," Sikkema said while appearing on 'The Rich Eisen Show.'
"So, when I look at them picking at number 11, if they've got the opportunity to jump up for one of the few blue-chip guys in the trenches in this draft, I like that strategy for them to be able to move up from number 11 to number five.”
The 49ers' defense will look different next season with the impending departures of free agents Javon Hargrave, Charvarius Ward and Dre Greenlaw. Sikkema believes that a player like Graham is worth the cost of trading up as he has elite traits.
“It probably won't cost them too much and if they can get a guy like Mason Graham, to me, that's exactly what they need. He's just an absolute animal in the interior, an elite run defender in back-to-back years, and even with his small arms, I think that he's got the opportunity to be a pass rusher at the NFL level because of how explosive he is.”
Sikkema’s evaluation has Graham as one of the top overall players in this year’s NFL Draft. He has the 6-foot-3, 320-pound pass rusher ranked as his fourth-best player after Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Graham’s player comparison is former defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, according to Sikkema. Glover was a pass-rushing defensive tackle who was a 1-time All-Pro and a 6-time Pro Bowler for teams like the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Saint Louis Rams. Sikkema sees similar physical traits between Glover and Graham.
“Graham comes in shorter and doesn't have the great length that typical difference-making NFL defensive tackles have, which was the same for Glover as a fifth-round pick out of San Diego State in 1996.
“Nonetheless, Glover went on to have an All-Pro career thanks to his first step explosiveness and strength, two traits Graham also boasts to be a presence defending the run and rushing the passer.”
Graham's fit with the 49ers defense
Graham could fit into Hargrave's role next to Nick Bosa on the right side of the 49ers defensive line.
The 49ers' defense will be revamped in 2025 after coach Kyle Shanahan fired Nick Sorensen and brought back Robert Salah. Takeaways will be one of the key areas of improvement for the defense after it finished tied for joint-last in 2024 with just 17.