The San Francisco 49ers are approaching one of the most important drafts during the tenure of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. After leading the Niners to the Super Bowl during Brock Purdy’s rookie contract his expected extension will place an added emphasis on the draft as several players left town during the opening weeks of the new league year.
While the 49ers own 11 picks in the upcoming draft, hitting on several of them will be important as they look to build around a highly paid quarterback. That’s why a pair of draft visits toward the end of the process are important and could pull back the curtain to see who San Francisco could be considering when the draft begins next week.
49ers to Host Josh Simmons, James Pearce Jr. One Week Before NFL Draft
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers are visiting with Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons on Wednesday. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that San Francisco is also hosting Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., giving the 49ers a pair of high-profile meetings just one week before the draft.
Top 30 visits on the last day visits are permitted:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 16, 2025
-- #Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. is visiting the #49ers, who pick No. 11, today.
-- #Michigan CB Will Johnson is visiting the #Seahawks, who pick No. 18, today.
OSU offensive tackle Josh Simmons is visiting today with the 49ers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 16, 2025
Pearce is currently 23rd on Pro Football Focus’s big board and is a disruptive edge rusher. At 6-foot-5, 243 pounds, Pearce racked up a career-high 10 sacks during his second season at Tennessee in 2023 and backed it up with a career-high 38 total tackles and 7.5 sacks during his final season a year ago. He finished his draft process by posting a 9.35 relative athletic score and figures to go somewhere in the middle to back end of Round 1 on Thursday night.
Simmons is another potential target for San Francisco, entering the draft as the No. 18 prospect on PFF’s big board. While he’s coming off a torn ACL suffered last fall, his 6-foot-5, 310-pound frame is adequate for a starting tackle and he allowed just one sack on 601 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons according to PFF.
Both players would fill needs for the 49ers in the first round of the draft. San Francisco already has Nick Bosa at edge rusher, but finding a partner opposite him has been a challenge. With recent second-round pick Drake Jackson struggling to come back from a patellar injury, the Niners could be tempted to take a swing on another edge rusher, giving their defense the punch it needs to compete in the NFC West.
But selecting Simmons could be just as important. Trent Williams will turn 36 in July and his future has become a year-to-year preposition. Even if he wants to keep playing into his late-30s, his contract carries a $21.1 million cap hit this season and a $38.8 million cap hit in 2026 with no guaranteed money remaining.
With Purdy's contract looming, Williams could be on the chopping block after this season leaving San Francisco to pursue his replacement in the near future.
Armed with the 11th overall pick and four selections in the top 100, the 49ers will have their chance to select either player if the meetings go well and restock a roster that has lost a ton of talent this offseason.