The San Francisco 49ers have nailed down another 2025 NFL Draft choice.
With mandatory minicamp having closed for San Francisco and for much of the rest of the NFL this week, it's the perfect time to tend to any unfinished business before players all take a moment to catch their breath ahead of the start of training camp. Rookie defensive tackle C.J. West will be celebrating the end of his first minicamp with a bang. He's signed his rookie contract to play with the 49ers.
West is a key part of the 49ers' defensive tackle overhaul this offseason. He, along with first round pick Mykel Williams and second round pick Alfred Collins, look to give San Francisco a renewed punch up front on defense. With Robert Saleh back coordinating the defense, a heavy defensive line rotation is expected to be a part of the mix — so having a slew of fresh bodies to step in was clearly a big part of general manager John Lynch's priority list this offseason.
West has a compact build and a pleasant amount of agility for a player of his stature, making him uniquely able to play both in a penetration role and as an anchor on the inside. West, who started his college career at Kent State, exploded in 2024 as a key transfer to Indiana and parlayed his successes into becoming the 113th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
For the 49ers, there's one remaining bit of business to attend to with this year's NFL Draft. Collins remains unsigned — although there's likely to be a longer wait for that deal to get done due to no fault of the 49ers. Agents and teams across the league are in a standoff over guarantees for second-round draft choices.
The conflict has been spurred on by the Houston Texans giving wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the 34th overall pick, a fully guaranteed rookie contract.
No team had ever given a fully guaranteed contract to a second-round pick before. The Cleveland Browns, who picked linebacker Carson Schwesinger 33rd overall, quickly followed suit. And now 30 second-round draft choices, including Collins, are waiting for their team to blink and follow the new trend next.
The 49ers avoided any unnecessary lingering business with West, who can now proceed into his first career training camp signed, settled and ready to do his part to bring the San Francisco defensive front back to prominence.
