SANTA CLARA — A very familiar face was back in Santa Clara on Wednesday as the 49ers hosted their local pro day.
While nearly 50 NFL draft prospects warmed up on the field, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh joined the 49ers' staff assembled on the field. San Francisco's position coaches worked with their specific positional prospects, as Saleh spent most of the practice in the center of the field chatting with general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan.
Football season loading ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/ewOrwE5t3q
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 9, 2025
A majority of the prospects were from Cal Berkeley, Stanford or San Jose State, but there were several who met the "local" requirement by attending high school in the Bay Area.
Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor did not work out and spent the early portion of the on-field session chatting with Lynch, whom the prospect already met at the university’s pro day.
“They didn’t really ask me to work out, they asked me to show up,” Ayomanor said. “I did a lot at the combine and I did a lot at my pro day, and they were there at my pro day, too. I think they’ve seen all that they need to see.”
Looks like Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor will not be working out at the #49ers local pro day. The prospect had a long chat with John Lynch during warmups pic.twitter.com/FDLvWbeHgl
— Jennifer Lee Chan - also bluesky @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) April 9, 2025
San Francisco 49ers
Ayomanor confirmed he has been in close contact with 49ers receivers coach Leonard Hankerson throughout the draft process. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound wideout could be an ideal fit in the 49ers' system, considering his joy for blocking.
“I really take pride in just being a pest out there,” Ayomanor said. “That’s one of the mantras of our receivers room, too. You get gratification from all of that. That’s the thing in football -- it’s not just about catching touchdowns, it’s about hitting someone in the mouth, too."
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Unlike his Stanford counterpart, San Jose State’s Nick Nash did go through the workout, catching passes from the three quarterbacks in attendance and working closely with Hankerson.
“Any chance to come out and play ball, I love the sport, so why not run some routes and show them what I can do,” Nash said. “It’s my favorite thing to do. I think just talking to coaches in the NFL, your football IQ obviously goes up. They are really smart out here and it’s really beneficial picking guys brains and seeing what works at the next level, and it’s just nice to be out here and do the work.”
Nash spent his first three seasons with the Spartans as a quarterback before making the switch to wide receiver in 2022, and subsequently led the Mountain West with 104 receptions for 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024.
Cal linebacker Teddye Buchanan is a prospect the 49ers could target in later rounds to add depth to the position. The project did not work out Wednesday, spending most of his time watching his fellow linebackers while talking to Pro Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis.
“I had a great talk with him just trying to pick his brain and talk about what made him great,” Buchanan said. “That was really great. He just talked about what he did and it was really simple advice -- bring it every single day, get up ready to attack the day. It was really cool to talk to him; he was a player I grew up watching.”
Along with positional coaches, 49ers directors of player personnel RJ Gillan and Tariq Ahmad walked the field, watching and taking notes of each position group. The 49ers brass will use their interactions with the local prospects to continue building their draft board, and their list of undrafted free-agent prospects they would like to target.
The 2025 NFL Draft will begin in just over two weeks on April 24 at 5 p.m. PT.
