2026 NFL Draft Grades: San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers traded out of Day 1, and I wrote about their Day 2 on Friday night. There were some really confusing picks in this class. I like De'Zhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black and some others, but it seemed like general manager John Lynch went off the board to get the guys he wanted, often way ahead of where they were valued.

The Niners needed to fix their depth more than anything. Last season, injuries gutted the roster. San Francisco went 12-5 and lost in the divisional round, but it was a what-could-have-been kind of season. Nick Bosa (knee) missed 14 games. Fred Warner (ankle) missed 11. Mykel Williams missed the back half of his rookie year with his own knee injury. George Kittle was out six games, and the receiver room took its share of hits (perhaps most notable with Brandon Aiyuk not returning at all and now looking like he'll be headed elsewhere).

On top of all that, Trent Williams is turning 38 years old. He recently agreed to a reworked deal that at least ensures he will be there in 2026, but I had San Francisco looking at the OT class even before the two sides settled on a restructure. The team needs to be thinking ahead.

Stribling has wheels, running a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash, and he accelerates immediately. Black runs through contact with power. Romello Height has burst and bend off the edge. But all three Day 2 players were significant reaches. Stribing was No. 73 on my board, Height was No. 107 and Black was way outside my top 150. Instead of Stribling, San Francisco could have gotten Denzel Boston. Instead of Height, it could have gotten someone like Jaishawn Barham. There were nine RBs available ahead of Black, including some guys with elite speed (Mike Washington Jr.), great hands (Emmett Johnson) and home-run ability (Kaytron Allen).

Day 3 was more of the same, with the exception of their first pick of the day. Gracen Halton jams running backs at the line of scrimmage despite weighing only 293 pounds. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and 16 run stops last season. He should be in the mix for playing time as a 3-technique, and I'm a fan of the value on this pick. But I'm not sure San Francisco did enough otherwise.

It may not be packed with star power, especially after GM John Lynch vacated the first round. But second-round WR De'Zhaun Stribling, third-round DE Romello Height, third-round RB Kaelon Black, fourth-round DT Gracen Halton, fourth-round OT Carver Willis and fourth-round CB Ephesians Prysock all provide valuable depth for a team that dealt with so many injuries last year and — certainly in Black's case — need to help reduce the load on stars like RB Christian McCaffrey. And whether or not those injuries seem like a bad run of luck (or electrical substation exposure), this is a veteran roster that needs fallbacks. Stribling may not catch a ton of balls as a rookie, but if recently signed WR Mike Evans breaks down again...

Best Pick: Most people think they took second-round receiver De'Zhaun Stribling too high, but I don't. I think he has a chance to be a productive NFL receiver. Watch him down the stretch for Ole Miss last year.

Worst Pick: I didn't love them taking Indiana running back Kaelon Black in the third. They had too many other needs, and history says their record taking backs in recent years isn't great.

The Skinny: This was a draft where the 49ers did their own thing, which you have to respect in terms of how the board played out. But if it doesn't work, they will be ripped big time. Stribling and third-round EDGE Romello Height have to produce right away.

While I didn't always like where the 49ers made their selections, I do like the players GM John Lynch picked — and let's face it — isn't that the point?

Plenty will quibble with the perceived value of the No. 33 overall pick and the selection of Mississippi wideout De'Zhaun Stribling, for example. But with wide receiver a glaring need for this club, the 6-foot-2, 207-pounder with elite speed (4.36), a track record of production at three different programs and a taste for run blocking certainly makes him a fit.

Similarly, plenty will point out that the 49ers used a third-round pick on a running back that wasn't even invited to the Combine, but I thought Indiana's Kaelon Black was one of the biggest Combine snubs I'd ever seen in over a quarter-century of evaluating the draft, and I love his fit in Kyle Shanahan's offense. I also like the pass rushing potential of speedy edge Romello Height and the slipperiness of defensive tackle Gracen Halton. Carver Willis was a tackle at Washington, but I like him better inside at guard and wouldn't be surprised if the fourth-round pick starts as a rookie, as well.

onSan Francisco's draft ended in the fifth round, but I bet the time spent off the clock was dedicated on recruiting players who went undrafted, so don't be surprised when San Francisco has a UDFA (or three) who make this club — a difficult task for a team as talented (and well-paid) as this one.

If not for James Gladstone, the 49ers would sit in their own category of taking whoever they want whenever they want.

It's a credit to Kyle Shanahan knowing exactly what he wants for his scheme, but also a hindrance of overlooking value and better talent.

Stribling has size and speed, but his lack of lateral agility to separate quickly makes it puzzling to draft him this early. They went down the same road with Kaelon Black, who is a downhill physical runner. Did you have to use a top 100 pick on a running back that had zero pass game involvement?

I like both Romello Height (wide nine situational pass rusher) and Ephesians Prysock (gigantic corner) in their defensive scheme. I'm just perplexed by the lack of value the 49ers seemingly got from this draft.

Here's why: I understand the 49ers "reaching" on a couple of players, which might seem like this grade is odd. I just like a couple of the players the 49ers drafted. De'Zhaun Stribling, a player I was particularly high on because of his size, blocking and all-around game, was ranked No. 52 on my final big board. I love his fit with Kyle Shanahan as essentially a Jauan Jennings replacement. But it might have been a little rich to take him at 33. Then again, he may have been gone before the 49ers selected again at the end of the third round, so I understand the argument for the perceived "reach."

I also like the 49ers continuing to add to their interior defense with the Gracen Halton pick. But I didn't really love the Kaelon Black pick in the third round, a player I saw more as a middle or late Day 3 talent. But Shanahan taking a running back in the third round that seems like a reach by consensus standards has become a bit of an annual draft tradition. They took Carver Willis on Day 3 as offensive line depth, too, something this team desperately needs. That's perhaps why the Niners moved out of the first round when they weren't able to add one of the tackles who went in the first round.

Most interesting pick: Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech

Height is a twitchy pass rusher who is older and lacks great size, likely making him a designated pass rusher. But he is a heat-seeking missile when getting after the passer, and I am already dreaming about the 49ers trotting out Height, Mykel Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Nick Bosa on third down to create havoc in the pocket.

The Niners kept what seems like a now yearly tradition of making head-scratching skill player picks on day two, grabbing Ole Miss receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (my 83rd overall player) and Indiana running back Kaelon Black (who was outside my top 100 and not invited to the combine) in the second and third rounds, respectively. Stribling is a guy that I actually like—he's tall, fast, and blocks his ass off—but the opportunity cost of taking him 33rd overall, with dozens of higher-ranked players still on the board, is an eyebrow-raiser. Add in the selection of Romello Height, an undersized 25-year-old sixth-year senior, in the third round, and it's safe to say I don't see eye to eye with San Francisco's value analysis. I did like the pick of Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who brings some pass-rushing upside on the interior line, but overall, it's hard to say the Niners maximized their draft capital with this class—and they may not even have an early career starter in the bunch.

Analysis: The 49ers traded out of the first round, passing on receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and going with Stribling to open Day 2. That appears to be a reach pick for a player projected to go in the third round by most draft pundits. San Francisco also had the opportunity to take Denzel Boston. Later in the draft, the 49ers made the head-scratching decision to make Black the third running back off the board. He's a physical playmaker, but he doesn't offer much in the passing game. But the team might have gotten a steal with Height, who had 10 sacks last season.