The San Francisco 49ers have had an offseason filled with a ton of movement on the roster. They have used the 2025 NFL Draft as an avenue to improve the defense, and they have made it a priority.
The 49ers selected DL Mykel Williams, DT Alfred Collins, DL Nick Martin, and CB Upton Stout through the first two days. Instead of looking elsewhere, they continued to add to the defensive front on Day 3. With the 113th overall pick, the 49ers took Indiana DT CJ West.
San Francisco has made an emphasis on adding some beef to the defensive line to help shut down the run. The Athletic's Dane Brugler gave him a fourth or fifth-round draft pick, so this looks like the exact range he was supposed to go.
Quickly after the selection, it was praised by multiple people online.
Nick Bosa - Alfred Collins - CJ West - Mykel Williams
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 26, 2025
You will NOT run the ball against the 49ers. You just can't.
Fantastic value for the 49ers taking CJ West in the 4th. Plays with great leverage and leg drive pic.twitter.com/fTT8vMhqLE
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) April 26, 2025
West is someone who plays with great leverage and does a great job pushing upfield to cause problems in the backfield. According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, West had 52 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on designed runs since 2021. That was the most among defensive tackles in that span.
The 49ers clearly want to be a stout run defense, and their additions in the NFL Draft highlight that. With this identity shift happening, this could be bad news for DT Jordan Elliott. He is heading into the final year of his deal, but with the addition of West, Elliott should be looking over his shoulder.
In 15 games for San Francisco last year, he had 19 total tackles, two TFLs, and two QB hits. According to PFF, he had a 46.5 overall grade (170th among 215 eligible defensive linemen) and a 45.5 run defense grade (155th among 215 eligible defensive linemen).
He wasn't effective as a run stopper, and the 49ers made sure to improve in that area. With the addition of West and Collins over the last two days, Elliott is someone the organization has put on notice.