Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Kyle Shanahan faced a pivotal moment in his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. After the injuries and roster turnover marred the 2024 season, the team needed a strategic plan for its talent to remain competitive. The departure of key veterans, including Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw, forced the HC to use this draft in shaping the team’s future. Shanahan wanted to raise the competition across the roster for excellent players who could perform under pressure. They entered the draft with 11 picks, including eight within the first 160 selections. But fans often wondered why let go of a premium RB, Cam Skattebo.
Skattebo’s college career was marked by impressive versatility and production. In the 2024 season, he rushed for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also contributing 605 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. His performance earned him First-Team All-American honors and a fifth-place finish in Heisman voting. The 49ers’ interest in Skattebo was not just because of his statistics but also his playing style, which mirrors the physicality and versatility that Shanahan values.
During the May 28 episode of St Brown podcast, the rookie also revealed that he thought the Niners would draft him. He said, “I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick. Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on, and no phone call.”Instead, Kyle Shanahan selected the Western Kentucky CB Upton Stout with the 100th overall pick.
New York Giants RB Cam Skattebo believed the 49ers were going to draft him in the 2025 NFL Draft:
“I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick. Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on and no phone… pic.twitter.com/1Ey3eelRnu
— Coach Yac (@Coach_Yac) May 28, 2025
4 picks later, the NY Giants chose Cam Skattebo as their 4th round pick (105th overall). The most obvious reason could be the ace RB Christian McCaffrey and others. The HC would be more interested in the combination instead of individual brilliance. That’s what they need to advance to the next level.
They knew that they needed veterans if they wanted to make things easier for themselves in the future. But that is not limited to the field only. Experienced people need to sit in the front office, coaches and staff.
Kyle Shanahan & co. bring back an experienced front staffer
The 49ers are running it back with a familiar mind in the building. On Wednesday, the 28th of May, they officially brought back Ethan Waugh as a personnel executive. If you know how Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch build this team, Waugh’s name probably rings a bell. He was the vice president of player personnel before leaving in 2021. During his job position, he handled everything about scouting and draft operations.
Waugh spent 18 seasons in San Francisco, gradually climbing the ladder, from personnel assistant in 2004, then Midwest regional scout, senior player personnel coordinator, and eventually director of college scouting and football systems (2018–2020). He was a bridge between eras, from Mike Nolan to Jim Harbaugh to Kyle Shanahan.
Before diving into the personnel world, Waugh spent time on the sidelines at Illinois Wesleyan as offensive coordinator and QB coach, and before that, at Western Carolina. That blend of scouting and sideline experience? It matters when you’re trying to evaluate what a 20-year-old college left tackle looks like three years from now under Sunday lights.
The 49ers didn’t just bring in a seasoned front office guy. They brought back a trusted builder with a legacy in their walls and fresh perspective from time spent away. It’s a move that screams long-term continuity with a hint of unfinished business. Waugh helped build one contender. Now he’s back to do it again, maybe better.
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