After a quiet free agency period, the San Francisco 49ers need to cash in on their 11 selections in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft.
The 49ers released each of their starting defensive tackles from last season in Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins. Hargrave was limited to just three starts after a partially torn triceps.
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As San Francisco looks to reshape the middle of its defense, the 49ers will have to do so through the NFL draft. In Pro Football Focus' best day two fits for every NFL team, San Francisco finds some much-needed defensive tackle help.
PFF writes that the perfect day two fit for the 49ers is South Carolina defensive lineman T.J. Sanders.
The 49ers need a disruptive presence on the interior, so targeting a disruptive 3-technique like Sanders makes too much sense. His wicked first step and lateral quickness — due to his basketball background — allowed him to penetrate at a high level, contributing to his 90.3 PFF pass-rush grade versus true pass sets last season. - Mason Cameron, Pro Football Focus.
Sanders was a third-team All-American, first-team All-SEC and recognized as the SEC Interior Defender of the Year per College Football Nation last season with the Gamecocks. The Associated Press and Phil Steele each tabbed Sanders as a second-team All-SEC selection in 2024.
The 6-foot-4, 297 pound defensive tackle totaled 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks last season. Sanders earned a defensive grade of 82.4, a pass rushing grade of 81.9 and a run defense grade of 77.0 per Pro Football Focus last season. According to PFF, Sanders tallied 33 total pressures in 2024.
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Sanders finished his college career with 109 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and six pass breakups across 39 games played and 16 starts.
