SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Over the course of the three-day NFL draft, five of the San Francisco 49ers' key decision makers reflected on their choices in news conference settings.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch did a daily debrief while directors of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and RJ Gillen and director of scouting Josh Williams recapped the draft when it was done. Absent from that group, however, might have been the man who had the greatest influence on the team's haul: defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
For evidence, one need only to take a look at the list of players the 49ers selected. For the first time since 1981, the team spent its first five picks on defenders. It added one more in the fifth round to bring the total to six -- and there's a real chance all will start or play key roles right away.
It was the culmination of a collaborative process that began on the first day Saleh returned to the building in January.
"It was right when we hired him," Gillen said. "When he came in, he sat down with us and he kind of talked about how he's evolved and his time away from here and he also heard from us how we've evolved and how we see players, how he sees players. And then we came together and took a consensus in terms of the plan and type of players and skill sets and fits moving forward."
The 49ers were always going to need to devote significant draft resources to the defense. That reality set in during the early days of free agency in March when San Francisco said goodbye to starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins and end Leonard Floyd.
When the Niners didn't answer those departures with more than bargain priced additions, it became clear that they were going to need to use the draft to find replacements. But a closer inspection of the players the Niners drafted revealed plenty of direct ties to Saleh and his previous stint running the defense.
After the team selected Western Kentucky slot cornerback Upton Stout with the 100th pick in the draft Friday night, Shanahan and Lynch were asked if Stout reminded them of former Niners cornerback K'Waun Williams. Williams was one of the first free-agent additions under Saleh and one of his favorite players because his toughness far exceeded his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame. Without missing a beat, Shanahan and Lynch instantly responded with a resounding "yes."
A similar situation played out on Saturday after they used a fourth-round pick on Indiana defensive tackle CJ West, who they agreed bore a striking resemblance to former Niners defensive tackle D.J. Jones.
It's not a coincidence that Williams and Jones were brought in by Saleh, filled specific roles on some of his best defenses in San Francisco and became prototypes for what he would seek in his return to the Bay.
"We've been here nine years and Saleh was first to come with us," Shanahan said. "We've changed coaches a few times. But our system, not just schematically, but the way we do the draft, that doesn't change. ... We've been doing this for nine years together and having a new coordinator that's not a new coordinator because he's been here in the past kind of made it a very smooth, easy deal for us."
Indeed, Saleh's impact on the draft and what the 49ers were looking for came to life in more practical ways than simply player comparisons. The Niners used four of their first five picks on front-7 defenders they hope can improve a run defense that was regularly gashed in 2024. Under coordinator Nick Sorensen in 2024, the 49ers were 17th in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (4.4) and 28th in expected points added on defensive rush plays (minus-2.38). That contributed to a dip in pass rush productivity as they tied for 23rd in sacks (37) and were 15th in pass rush win rate (41.2%).
One of Saleh's primary coaching points has always been that his defenses have to earn the right to rush the passer by first stopping the run. In Saleh's first four seasons in San Francisco, the 49ers were sixth in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (4.1) and third in EPA on defensive rush plays (132.29).
Which explains why the Niners' top picks were made with an eye toward returning to the days of shutdown run defense. Lynch called first-round defensive end Mykel Williams "the best edge setter in the draft," a trait he said before the draft was a top priority when evaluating defensive ends.
In 2024, opponents averaged 0.1 yards per play when Williams made a tackle as he finished the season with 14 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage while playing on a sprained left ankle.
Second-round defensive tackle Alfred Collins profiled as a similarly destructive run defender. Over the past two seasons, Texas allowed just 2.95 yards per carry with Collins on the field and he led the Longhorns with 11 run stops last season while compiling 56 total tackles (third among defensive tackles in the FBS).
Like Williams and Collins, it's possible West will step into a starting job immediately, too. His 52 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on designed runs are the most among FBS defensive tackles since 2021 and he's the only player in FBS in that span with at least 50 quarterback pressures and 50 run stops.
The 49ers selected linebacker Nick Martin with the 75th overall pick with an eye toward having him replace Greenlaw at weakside linebacker. Martin missed the final seven games of last season but had 135 tackles, including 16 for loss with six sacks and two interceptions in 2023. He'll likely battle with incumbent Dee Winters for the coveted spot next to Fred Warner.
Stout and safety Marques Sigle (pick No. 160) rounded out the defensive haul. There's an obvious path to early playing time for both of them, too, with Stout pushing to be the nickel and Deommodore Lenoir staying outside and Sigle competing for a job as Malik Mustapha recovers from an ACL injury in his right knee.
"That's just a big part of our process for every player we draft, we have a vision for them," Josh Williams said. "We're constantly talking to our coaches, talking to each other, and working collectively to make sure we have a vision for how they're going to make this team, how they're going to make us better."
After plenty of offseason change, a strong argument can be made that Saleh's return was the 49ers' biggest acquisition. With the draft in the rearview, much of how the 2025 season plays out will depend on how the defensive renovation he's overseen plays out.
The hope in San Francisco is that a return to their defensive roots will help the Niners get back to dominance with Saleh leading the charge.
"We knew there was an emphasis on finding guys who would play our style, the style that Rob likes to play with," Ahmad said. "I think we did a really good job finding those pieces."