In fairness, the 2025 late-offseason trade the San Francisco 49ers made for edge rusher Bryce Huff, acquiring him from the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional fifth-round draft pick, made plenty of sense for both sides at the time.
From Philly's perspective, it got out from under a dreadful free-agent pickup the year prior and actually received draft compensation in return. And for the Niners, they reunited Huff with his best coach to date, then-defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who helped the pass-rusher record a career-best 10 sacks back in 2023 when they were both with the New York Jets.
But the door closed on Huff being an impactful player for San Francisco just one year after touching down in the Bay Area; a sudden retirement at age 27 signaling the end of his pro career.
A stagnant 49ers pass rush that recorded a league-low 20 sacks in 2025 now heads back to the drawing board, while Philadelphia ended up dishing out that pick to kickstart what turned into quite the hot-potato race for No. 166 overall.
Seriously, look at the pathway that pick had to follow after the Niners sent it off to Philly:
Pick 166 started out as a 49ers pick. They traded it to the Eagles last summer for Bryce Huff. The Eagles sent it to the Jaguars last season in the Tank Bigsby deal. Jags traded it to the Panthers in the fourth round earlier today to move up for Wesley Williams. Panthers traded…
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) April 25, 2026
For those who are lazy, here you go: 49ers --> Eagles --> Jaguars --> Panthers --> Bears
At least that hot-potato pick finally cooled off when it reached Chicago.
49ers hope Bears' Keyshaun Elliott draft pick doesn't come back to haunt them
San Francisco got a team-best (ugh) four sacks from Huff last season, and that's it. But the Bears can now turn their hopes to the selection of Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, banking on the day-three prospect beefing up the depth chart right away before, at least potentially, turning into a serviceable starter.
Granted, the road to a prominent role for Elliott will be a difficult one.
From the 49ers' vantage point, they merely hope Elliott winds up being one of those late-round draftees who eventually falls into obscurity after a short time, thereby making the Huff deal seem not so bad in its aftermath.
In the meantime, the fact no one appeared to want the No. 166 overall pick until Chicago finally agreed to use it makes the Huff trade seem not so bad.
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