Missing the playoffs the year after making the Super Bowl has made this a pivotal offseason for the San Francisco 49ers. A quick turnaround can make those 2024 struggles a little blip on the radar, while failure to improve can confirm this as a fast fall from grace.
The team was relatively quiet in free agency, showing plenty of confidence in what they already have on the roster and their ability to improve through the NFL Draft.
This is a good year for the 49ers to build through the draft, since their biggest needs happen to line up with some of the class' biggest strengths. But while that's great news for 49ers fans, it's bad news for one of their 2023 additions.
Jordan Elliott on Thin Ice as 49ers Enter NFL Draft
The departures of Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins have Elliott (along with Kevin Givens) at the top of the 49ers' depth chart at defensive tackle right now. But this position is also at the top of their list of draft needs.
And this year's defensive tackle class is stacked. The 49ers could very well pursue one in Round 1, where Mason Graham could fall, and Walter Nolen would be an option at No. 11.
But with such a lack of depth at the position on the roster, even a first-round pick probably won't be the 49ers' final one. Another mid or late-round pick could (and frankly should) be spent at the position to give it the attention it needs.
That kind of investment would be bad news for Elliott, who enters the final season of his contract with San Francisco, and whose contract leaves room for the 49ers to even part ways with him before training camp is out.
A 3rd-round pick for the Cleveland Browns back in 2020, Elliott received an ugly 47.6 overall grade from PFF in his first season with the Niners, which ranked just 165th among 219 qualifying defensive tackles. That marked his fourth straight season grading out below 50, and replacing him with a rookie will be a welcome change.