The 49ers could have been suitors for Jahdae Barron in the NFL Draft, but he and the Broncos will square off against the Niners in preseason instead.
The San Francisco 49ers will have an AFC West-focused preseason this year, which includes a week of joint practices and an exhibition opener against the visiting Denver Broncos.
And it'll be fun to watch one of Denver's high-profile rookies, cornerback Jahdae Barron, whom the Broncos selected with their first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft last April, No. 20 overall.
Barron, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, could have been a top-10 pick, and there were plenty of mock drafts out there suggesting the Niners could have targeted the former University of Texas defensive back at No. 11 overall.
Of course, San Francisco went with it's bread-and-butter approach, grabbing Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams instead.
However, Barron would have been a solid choice, had he been the 49ers' top pick.
49ers will see Jahdae Barron's 1st NFL game in preseason
Sure, exhibition games don't count for much of anything, but Denver will undoubtedly play the pro-ready Barron in Week 1 of the preseason when it visits Levi's Stadium.
Barring injury, it'll be entertaining to watch the Niners offense match up against the speedy corner who'll soon stand opposite the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II.
Depending on how Barron performs in his first ever pro-level competition against another opponent, it'll be fair for San Francisco to wonder whether he should have been its first pick over Williams, especially considering the 49ers waited until Round 3 to grab a defensive back in Western Kentucky's Upton Stout.
Likewise, Williams' own debut in a Niners uniform will be entertaining to watch, and the Broncos likely will want to pay attention to how San Francisco's own rookie pass-rusher performs in his exhibition debut, too.