USA Today

After a heartbreaking loss in overtime in Super Bowl 58, the San Francisco 49ers struggled in 2024. The defending NFC champions finished with a losing record for the first time since 2020 amid a slew of injuries and off-field hardship. San Francisco's defense allowed the most points in a season in the Kyle Shanahan era and subsequently fired first-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. In his place, the team has reunited with former defensive coordinator and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. There are question marks on offense as well. Star running back Christian McCaffrey missed most of the 2024 season with an injury and wideout Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from a major knee injury. The team gave fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel permission to seek a trade. There's also a host of players hitting free agency, most notably cornerback Charvarius Ward and linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The team sits 12th in the league in cap space at time of publishing so it does have money to spend to fill some gaps. However, the biggest way to help the team overall will likely be through the draft. The full draft order has yet to be finalized but San Francisco is projected to have 11 selections in the 2025 NFL draft, per Tankathon. That gives them plenty of opportunities to build for the future.