49ers Rookie Class 2025: Key Contributors and Outlook<\/h2>\nRookies Making Immediate Impact<\/b><\/h3>\nMykel Williams (Round 1 \u2014 EDGE)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Mykel Williams (Round 1 \u2014 EDGE)<\/b><\/h4>\n
The first-round pick out of Georgia stepped into a starting role from Week 1 due to the team\u2019s limited pass-rush depth. Williams flashed his upside with 20 tackles and a sack in nine games. However,<\/strong> a torn ACL on Nov. 2 against the New York Giants<\/a> halted his progress. Still,<\/strong> he remains a long-term piece of the defense, and his early contributions highlight his potential.<\/p>\n At 6’5″, 332 pounds, Collins has been a physical presence inside from day one. Moreover, his counting stats (nine tackles in 11 games) do not reflect his impact. His size has opened lanes for teammates, and his forced fumble\/recovery against the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> on Oct. 2 sealed one of the team\u2019s biggest wins of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n The nickel corner from Western Kentucky has been one of the 49ers\u2019 most productive 2025 rookies. In fact,<\/strong> Stout seized the starting nickel role early and hasn\u2019t given it back, recording 57 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups in 11 games. Consequently,<\/strong> his emergence has been critical to San Francisco\u2019s improved pass defense.<\/p>\n Drafted primarily for depth, the Kansas State safety stepped into action after multiple injuries at his position. Sigle has responded with 49 tackles, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery in 10 games. With Malik Mustapha and Ji\u2019Ayir Brown healthy, he remains a reliable rotational option.<\/span><\/p>\n Colby filled in for injured guard Ben Bartch for nine games and showed promise despite typical rookie growing pains. Now, with veterans returning, he remains a promising option for the team\u2019s interior line in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n West<\/a> has joined Collins in the defensive tackle rotation, recording 12 tackles in nine games. The Indiana product has shown enough for the 49ers to envision both rookies anchoring the interior together in the coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n With Fred Warner and Tatum Bethune injured, Martin had opportunities but has not carved out consistent snaps, totaling 10 tackles and a forced fumble in seven games. His development remains a work in progress.<\/span><\/p>\n Buried behind a deep group of veteran receivers, Watkins has appeared in only three games, catching two passes for 26 yards. However, if Brandon Aiyuk<\/a> or Jauan Jennings depart in the offseason, Watkins could see a larger role in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n Three rookies \u2014 RB Jordan James, QB Kurtis Rourke, and WR Junior Bergen \u2014 have yet to make their NFL debut. Among them,<\/strong> Rourke appears the most likely to play soon as Brock Purdy\u2019s primary backup. Meanwhile,<\/strong> James and Bergen will likely continue developing behind established starters.<\/span><\/p>\n With upcoming games against the first-place Indianapolis Colts,<\/a> Chicago Bears<\/a>, and Seattle Seahawks<\/a>, the injury-plagued 49ers will need continued contributions from some of these rookies to secure a playoff spot. Regardless of how the season ends, this large and unexpectedly crucial rookie group has helped keep San Francisco afloat and may define the team\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n Main Image: Troy Taormina – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Despite losing numerous standout players to season-ending injuries, the San Francisco 49ers sit at 9\u20134 through 13 weeks of the 2025 NFL season. The 49ers 2025 rookie class\u00a0has played a crucial role in keeping the team in playoff contention, stepping up alongside veterans like Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams. San Francisco drafted 11 players this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5641,"featured_media":256954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,6431],"tags":[31996,7325],"class_list":["post-256831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49ers","category-nfl-teams","tag-nfl-rookies","tag-san-francisco-49ers-news"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5641"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256831"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256957,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256831\/revisions\/256957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Alfred Collins (Round 2 \u2014 DT)<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Alfred](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/11\/Alfred-Collins-1024x683.jpg\")
Upton Stout (Round 3 \u2014 CB)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Marques Sigle (Round 5 \u2014 S)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Connor Colby (Round 7 \u2014 G)<\/b><\/h4>\n
49ers Rookie Class 2025: Rotational Players<\/h3>\n
CJ West (Round 4 \u2014 DT)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Nickolas Martin (Round 3 \u2014 LB)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Jordan Watkins (Round 4 \u2014 WR)<\/b><\/h4>\n
49ers Rookie Class 2025: Yet to Debut<\/h3>\n
Looking Ahead<\/b><\/h3>\n