11. San Francisco 49ers: Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss
Well, the San Francisco 49ers sure have been gutted, haven’t they? There are still enough pieces in the mix to recognize the Niners, but this team is a shell of the crew that went to the Super Bowl a couple of seasons ago. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have their work cut out for them.
On top of the priority list in the 2025 NFL Draft for the 49ers should undoubtedly be the defensive front, and as outstanding as this class is overall on the defensive line, you can’t help but feel like the options at 11 aren’t “great”. The 49ers take the best player available in Walter Nolen, who has the potential to reach double-digit sacks from the interior defensive line.
With this pick, expect the 49ers to also consider a cornerback, maybe even surprise with a tight end, but the smart move for them might be to take someone on the defensive line or off the edge where they have struggled to find pieces in recent years.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
There has been quite the feud going on between now-former Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and current Cowboys star Micah Parsons. The former said that the reason he left Dallas is that he wasn’t going to win a Super Bowl there anytime soon, so the Cowboys have a little bit of extra bulletin board material from someone who was in their own locker room for a decade.
Regardless of Lawrence’s thoughts on his former team, the Cowboys need help off the edge defensively. They have Marshawn Kneeland coming up as a young player they obviously like as well as Dante Fowler Jr. signing in free agency, but what is the long-term status of this position group? Are they going to be able to pay MIcah Parsons?
It might not be the worst idea to get out ahead of things and the Cowboys get one of the most athletic EDGE players in the class in Shemar Stewart.