The San Francisco 49ers continued their trend with the trenches, taking Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Alfred Collins at No. 43 overall in the second round.
Collins, a 6’6, 330-pound defensive tackle, had a stellar senior season, earning second-team All-American honors by racking up 55 tackles, seven pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, and a sack in 2024.
Here’s what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said about the defensive tackle from Texas:
“A one-year starter at Texas, Collins played nose tackle in defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s front, although he saw most of his 2024 snaps over the B-gap (299, compared to 145 over the A-gap and 129 over the tackle). Highly recruited out of the Austin area, he was given an “underachiever” label by some while playing behind T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy III in 2023, but he played his best ball in 2024 with starting-level snaps.
“A coordinated big man, Collins plays with natural power and does a great job as a two-gapper, stacking, peeking and grounding ball carriers between the tackles. His hands are more heavy than disciplined, and he struggles to root himself versus doubles because of his tall pads. Overall, Collins is still learning how to maximize his size and talent, but he took a sizable jump this past season and shows the physical traits to be a disruptive force, especially against the run. He will provide immediate depth as a rookie, and his snap count should increase with experience.”
With the 49ers’ first two picks, it’s pretty clear what their objective is: becoming better against the run. San Francisco’s first-round pick, Mykel Williams, was one of the best run defenders at the collegiate level, and has high potential as a pass-rusher as he continues to grow.
Alfred Collins, on the other hand, flourished as a run defender when starting in 2024, plugging the gaps and recording 21 run stops for the Longhorns, while barely missing tackles (2).
San Francisco has gone with leaner defensive tackles in the past, but now get a force on the interior who should project as a Day 1 starter at the position.
The question will be how high Collins’s potential is, which comes to his pass-rushing ability. Collins is capable in that range and has certainly shown potential in that category, but needs more reps as a pass-rusher, which he should get in San Francisco.
Collins played his role to a tee at Texas, and that should fit well with Robert Saleh’s defense, as the coordinator has found ways to unleash certain defensive linemen.
There is some development to be had here, but the Texas defensive lineman very clearly fits a position of need and helps against a key issue in 2024: stopping the run.
At the moment, I’ll grade this selection a ‘B’, just like I did with the Mykel Williams pick for the floor. But, that grade definitely has a chance to improve, depending on the potential of being a three-down player.
Grade: B