How Saleh's influence is reflected in 49ers' 2025 draft picks

Robert Saleh has not spoken publicly in the three months since the 49ers announced his return to the organization as defensive coordinator.

But he certainly has not been silent.

It took Saleh less than 24 hours to meet with key members of the 49ers’ personnel department to outline his vision for the draft.

“Right when we hired him, the very first day, he sat down with us and he talked about how he has evolved in his time away from here,” 49ers director of player personnel RJ Gillen said of Saleh.

“He also heard from us how we've evolved and how we see players and how he sees players. Then we kind of came together in a consensus in terms of the plan and the types of players and skill sets and fits we want moving forward.”

Saleh’s impact on the 2025 NFL Draft was obvious, as the 49ers selected defensive players with the team’s first five picks.

The 49ers chose Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams with the No. 11 overall pick. They added some bulk to the interior of the defensive line with the selections of Alfred Collins of Texas and C.J. West of Indiana in the second and fourth rounds.

In the third round, the 49ers picked Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin and Western Kentucky nickel back Upton Stout.

The 49ers picked up Kansas State safety Marques Sigle in the fifth round to bring a total of six defensive draft picks to the organization.

“For every player we draft, we have a vision for them and we are constantly talking to our coaches, talking to each other, we work collectively to make sure we have a vision for how they are going to make this team, how they are going to make us better,” said Josh Williams, the 49ers’ director of scouting and football operations. “It was a big part of the conversation with Robert Saleh when he got back here.”

Saleh spent four seasons as 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020. During that time, San Francisco built one of the top defenses in the NFL. Saleh's unit was centered around a strong rotation of defensive linemen.

He parlayed his success with the 49ers into an opportunity as head coach of the New York Jets.

The Jets put together a good defense, but never figured out the offensive side of the ball.

Saleh was fired five games into the 2024 season with a 20-36 record.

His influence was reflected in the players the organization added to replenish a defense that was depleted after free agency.

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