San Francisco 49ers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Mykel Williams shouldn't have trouble finding playing time early in his career and should be an immediate asset in run defense due to his exceptional power, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. The 49ers have their three best edge rushers in Williams, Nick Bosa and Yetur Gross-Matos in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era. The question is how good of a pass-rusher Williams can become, as he mostly won via sheer strength in college. How quickly Williams is able to incorporate finesse moves and creativity with his pass rush will determine whether he's solid or exceptional in his first season in the NFL. San Fran took the Georgia product with the 11th overall pick in this year's draft. He won't turn 21 until June 29. Williams has the skills to be a very good pass-rusher for the Niners in the long term.

The Athletic's Matt Barrows writes that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall could be best positioned for a breakout season in 2025. Pearsall met up with quarterback Brock Purdy to work with him this offseason after missing six games as a rookie last year after being shot on Aug. 31. He also missed most of training camp with hamstring and shoulder injuries. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) could miss the start of the 2025 regular season, while Demarcus Robinson could be suspended due to a DUI incident in November. The Niners still have Jauan Jennings, but Pearsall, who excels against press coverage, would also have a big role in the passing attack. Pearsall had a 141-yard outing in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions last year and could be on the rise if his chemistry with Purdy has improved. The 24-year-old should be a top-three wideout for San Fran this year.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed punter Thomas Morstead, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Morstead, a 16-year NFL veteran and former Pro Bowler, had been released by the New York Jets back in March. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt with the Jets, and he's only had one punt blocked through 255 career games. This signing could indicate that the 49ers aren't committed to Mitch Wishnowsky, who missed eight games due to injury last year and is coming off the worst season of his career.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody struggled last year after returning from a high-ankle sprain. The former third-rounder changed his approach this offseason from taking three steps before a kick to just two, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur. Because Moody missed nine of 20 field-goal attempts in the last nine games, forcing the Niners to bring in veteran kicker Greg Joseph to give Moody competition this year. Before getting injured last year, the 25-year-old made 13 of his first 14 field-goal tries before spraining his ankle in a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals when he tried to make a tackle on a kickoff. He missed the next three games and wasn't the same when he returned. Moody is now fully healthy and likes the way he's kicking the ball this offseason, so he'll be a bounce-back candidate as a starting fantasy kicker in 2025.

A part of his five-year, $265 million contract extension, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy received a full no-trade clause for the duration of the deal, sources told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Purdy gets financial security and control over his future in a deal that is expected to be finalized and become official soon. It wasn't completely Purdy's fault as to why he fell from being the QB6 to QB13 in overall fantasy points in the 2024 season. San Francisco's offense was behind the eight ball from the beginning of the year when they didn't have star running back until the second half of the season, and then he suffered a new injury that caused him to be shut down. Top wideout Brandon Aiyuk also suffered a season-ending injury. The 25-year-old signal-caller could rebound to QB1 levels with better health of his offensive weapons.