Lynch, Shanahan address 49ers going all-in on defense during draft

Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have now added four new players to the San Francisco 49ers roster—all on the defensive side of the ball.

With the 11th overall pick, the 49ers selected Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams. In the second round, they added Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins. Then in the third round, they picked up Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin and Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout.

Lynch and Shanahan spoke with reporters following the third round, addressing the team's heavy emphasis on defense and the noticeable absence of offensive selections.

"You always want to address your bigger needs, but you don't just draft to address needs," Shanahan said. "It's got to fit right. We hope to play it out that way because we needed to do that, and starting with the first pick, to the next three, it all worked out that way, and we were able to fill, probably, our biggest needs on the team right now."

Lynch acknowledged that the draft doesn't always unfold as planned, but said the team was fortunate to land players they had targeted in the range they hoped to select them.

"That's pretty cool when it works out that way," Lynch added.

How much impact will the 49ers' newest additions have in 2025? Could the selections—particularly Williams, Collins, and Martin—push for starting roles by Week 1?

"We have aspirations," Lynch admitted. "When you're drafting day one and two, you'd love for that. But these guys, everything is earned in this league. I think that's the biggest principle, and it has to be. And it's the way you want it.

"So, these guys will have to earn it like everyone else. We think they all have qualities that can lend to being starters, but there's a lot of competition, a lot of good football players that are already here."

The 49ers lost several key contributors this offseason and have turned to the draft to replenish their depth with young talent. Shanahan admitted that Friday felt like the first day he's been able to take a breath since the start of free agency.

"You lose a lot of guys, so you just ... come into work, and you look at your board, and there's a lot of empty spots," Shanahan said. "And you're studying the draft, but you don't know how it's going to pan out. And there's a lot of empty spots there that we would love to fill, but if they're not there, then you go to other positions and stuff.

"So, I was really hoping that we could fill out a lot of those spots, and we did today, which, that's the start of it, but you've got to have some people there. And now, it's added some competition, and hopefully, we add some more tomorrow, but it definitely was a good feeling to add some guys here because we lost a number, more than we ever have before."