The San Francisco 49ers could target a number of different players with the No. 11 overall selection that's in their back pocket for the 2025 NFL Draft, and a recent mock draft has them focusing on the edge rush.
The 49ers lost Leonard Floyd this offseason after ranking second on the Niners with 8.5 sacks, trailing Nick Bosa's nine. CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso figures the 49ers should draft a player he sees as similar to Leonard to pair next to Bosa: Marshall edge rusher Mike Green.
"There's ironically a fair amount of Leonard Floyd to Green's game -- he's a taller outside speed rusher with the ability to flatten to the quarterback. Perfect running mate next to Nick Bosa." Writes Trapasso.
Trapasso has Green ranked as the 12th overall prospect and third best edge rusher in the class. It should be important to note the small quirk of Trapasso's mock, however, is that he wrote it with the mindset of who he would take for each team, not a prediction of what will happen.
"It's the one and only mock I'll write before the draft next week that highlights what I would do as a GM for each team. Therefore, I'm deploying my own evaluations to help make decisions for these selections. This mock does not represent my best-guess for Round 1 in a week. This is a "what I would do mock."
"Many of the picks -- and locations of the prospects -- will be drastically different than what you've been reading for the last few months." Trapasso clarified.
ESPN draft analyst Steve Muench has Green pegged as the sixth-best edge, and the 23rd overall prospect.
"Green led the FBS in sacks (17) through 2024. He explodes off the ball and transitions from speed to power rushing the passer. His hands are active, and he changes direction well. Green wins with inside and weaving moves, and he dips and flattens at the top of his rush. He chases with excellent effort and gets under blockers and shoots his hands defending the run. He's a former linebacker who gets to depth when dropped into coverage." Wrote Muench.
