The San Francisco 49ers entered the NFL Draft without having a first-round pick—and left with eight new players that will help build the team’s future. Although they originally had six picks, that number quickly jumped to eight thanks to multiple trades engineered by General Manager John Lynch. This strategizing effectively earned the 49ers an A- from analyst Chad Reuter with NFL.com.
The 49ers began their series of trades by trading their first-round pick No. 27 alongside pick No. 138 to the Miami Dolphins. In return, San Francisco received picks No. 30 and No. 90, only to flip No. 30 to the New York Jets for picks No. 33 and No. 179. Chad Reuter, in his analysis, praised San Francisco, stating “San Francisco wisely traded down twice in the first round to improve its stockpile of mid-round draft capital.”
FULL DRAFT CLASS
Pick #33 — De’Zhaun Stribling, Wide Receiver, Ole Miss (Round 2)
The 49ers started their new class of rookies with Ole Miss Wide Receiver, De’Zhaun Stribling. Before landing at Ole Miss, Stribling played at Washington State and Oklahoma State. Over his college football career, Stribling totaled 261 receptions, 2,964 yards, and 23 touchdowns. Head coach of the 49ers—Kyle Shanahan—stated that he was impressed with Stribling after seeing his 4.36 40-yard dash time. Last season, De’Zhaun only dropped a singular pass and according to Shanahan’s assessment, was “the best blocking wide receiver in this draft class.” Despite this praise, many experts and analysts considered this choice a reach with pick 33, and some considered Stribling to be a late second-round pick. As for his starting chances, Stribling will most likely sit behind receivers Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, and Christian Kirk, but we could possibly see him getting some slot reps this season.
Pick #70 — Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech (Round 3)
The 49ers selected Romello Height as their second draft pick. Height played six seasons of college football, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors with a stat line last season of 10 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. GM John Lynch praised Romello’s perseverance, “We feel that Romello is at the top of this draft in terms of the effort, the relentlessness, the tenacity that he plays with.” Despite the praise from John, Romello still comes with his own set of weaknesses, mostly his stature. Romello only weighs 239 pounds, meaning it’s unlikely he’ll start with all-star Nick Bosa and second-year Mykel Williams in front of him.
Pick #90 — Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana (Round 3)
Kaelon Black, a running back? With players like Christian McCaffrey on the team, Kaelon was definitely the most controversial pick of this year’s draft class. Last season, Black scored 10 touchdowns for Indiana. Chad Reuter describes Black as a “Tough, quick, and productive runner who can give Christian McCaffrey a break.” Other experts, on the other hand, were perplexed by this choice from the 49ers front office—Kaelon wasn’t invited to the NFL combine and was thought to be drafted late during the final day of the draft. With CMC on the team, his chances to start are practically 0, but he could potentially compete for the number two spot.
Pick #107 — Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma (Round 4)
Gracen Halton. Standing at 6’3 and 293 pounds, the 49ers continue to add interior D-Line help. Last season, the 49ers had the worst D-Line in the league, earning the fewest amount of sacks. Halton is unlikely to start but could hopefully help boost their defensive line’s stats if he gets the chance.
Pick #127 — Carver Willis, OT, Washington (Round 4)
Carver Willis, offensive tackle. One of the most sought-after positions from fans. Due to offensive tackle Spencer Burford’s departure to the Las Vegas Raiders, Carver Willis may have a real shot at that starting spot as he brings size and versatility to the table and to an offensive line that needs all the help they can get.
Pick #139 — Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington (Round 4)
Another depth piece for the 49ers. Ephesians patches up a dire need the 49ers had coming into this draft. A lot like other players from this draft class, he most likely won’t start, but can develop and become a great depth piece for the future.
Pick #154 — Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana (Round 5)
John Lynch wasn’t done with his trade shenanigans as he traded pick No. 133 to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for pick No. 154 and a 2027 sixth-rounder. With this pick, the team selected Linebacker Jaden Dugger, obviously a depth piece with players like Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw in front of him.
Pick #179 — Enrique Cruz Jr, OT, Kansas (Round 5)
The final pick of the 2026 49ers draft class was offensive tackle Enqique Cruz. Cruz finalizes the offensive line depth and could potentially see the field when injuries plague the trenches once again.
One analyst summarizes this draft as “although not packed with star power… Stribling, Height, Black, Halton, Willis, and Prysock all provide valuable depth for a team that dealt with so many injuries last year.” This class of rookies was obviously engineered for extra depth to the roster. As we get closer to the ‘26–’27 season, it will be on the shoulders of these rookies to develop and hopefully build the future of the 49ers.