Robert Saleh Says 49ers Were About to Draft Giants' Cam Skattebo Before Taking CJ West Instead

Robert Saleh let a little 49ers draft history slip on Wednesday, Sept. 23, while previewing his Tennessee Titans' Week 3 matchup against Cam Skattebo and the New York Giants.

Saleh, who spent 2025 as San Francisco's defensive coordinator before taking the Titans' head coaching job, told reporters the 49ers had a plan for Skattebo in the 2025 draft.

"I know going into the draft, we were actually about to draft him in San Francisco," Saleh said, according to Fox Sports. "Kyle loved him, and he ended up getting taken right before we were picking. I think we ended up with C.J. West, who was a pretty damn good player too."

The timeline is tight. The Giants took Skattebo at No. 105 overall in the fourth round. San Francisco picked eight spots later, at No. 113, and landed West, a defensive tackle out of Kentucky.

Skattebo himself has said before that he expected to land with San Francisco. "I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick," he said last year, according to 49ers Web Zone. "Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on, and no phone call."

By the time the Giants and 49ers were picking in that range, San Francisco had already used its first three selections on defensive tackle Alfred Collins (No. 43), linebacker Nick Martin (No. 75) and cornerback Upton Stout (No. 100), according to Sportsnaut. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch had also spent the 11th overall pick on edge rusher Mykel Williams. None of that stopped Shanahan from wanting Skattebo too, per Saleh.

Skattebo's rookie season showed why. He racked up 617 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games for the Giants before a gruesome ankle injury ended his 2025 campaign early, according to Newsweek. He came back strong to open 2026, rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Fox Sports reported.

West's rookie year was solid too, with 21 tackles and a sack, and he started San Francisco's first two games in 2026. But the 49ers placed him on injured reserve on Wednesday with a knee injury, according to Heavy, thinning out a defensive tackle room that's already banged up.

"Any time you have five defensive tackles make the team, and you're down to two of them through two games, that's always a concern for anybody," Shanahan said, according to Heavy, which cited Niners Nation. Shanahan added the team signed one new player and has three practice-squad options competing for the open spot.

That depth crunch has fueled speculation about a reunion with former 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, now with the Indianapolis Colts. NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan reported that scenario isn't happening right now, even with the Colts sitting at 0-2.

Sports Illustrated took a sharper editorial angle on the whole story, arguing Saleh was wrong to call West "a pretty damn good player" and suggesting the 49ers should have traded up for Skattebo if Shanahan really loved him that much. Saleh never said the 49ers considered trading up, only that they had a fourth-round grade on Skattebo and got beat to the pick.

San Francisco didn't wait as long the next time around. In the 2026 draft, the team took Indiana running back Kaelon Black at No. 90, well ahead of where they picked in 2025. Through two games this season, Black has 90 rushing yards on 21 carries, more carry volume than Christian McCaffrey's 20, according to Newsweek.

None of this changes what actually happened on draft weekend in 2025. The Giants got their bruising back, the 49ers got a defensive tackle now on injured reserve, and Saleh will spend Sunday, Sept. 27, trying to keep the player San Francisco almost drafted out of the end zone.