The San Francisco 49ers continued their acquisition of extra picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, trading linebacker Dee Winters to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick (No. 152 overall).
There's some disappointment out there from Niners fans, but I sort of understand it; Winters had struggled to carve out a full-time role, he's entering his contract season, and the 49ers just brought back Dre Greenlaw to start at his weakside linebacker position.
Couple that with Winters' inconsistency, meaning he often split time with the likes of De'Vondre Campbell (one of the worst linebackers ever to pull on the 49ers uniform, in my opinion), and returning a better pick than the one he was drafted for in 2023 seemed to make a lot of sense.
Greenlaw will obviously immediately man Winters' old role in the starting lineup, but looking at the former's injury history, it's obviously prudent to look at those younger players who may be being groomed for the role longer term, as Winters once was.
There are two: one highly-touted former Day 2 draft pick, and a late-season roster addition who impressed in limited duty.
Let's take a look at both of them.
Nick Martin
Nick Martin will be the first name that jumps to most fans' minds, and with good reason. We're not even a year removed, at the time of writing, from him being the 75h pick last year, the 49ers' pick in the third round, and he was clearly earmarked for a large role.
There's a lot to like about Martin. He's blazingly fast, and can hit like a train. Unfortunately, his rookie year was marred with inconsistent play and a troublesome concussion, leading to him only suiting up for seven games. He did manage to flash at least one highlight in that small sample size, though, forcing a fumble against the Carolina Panthers. His best game arguably came against the Arizona Cardinals, where he recorded seven tackles on 14 defensive snaps.
That lingering concussion and his raw play (leading to him getting little playing time even in a year where the Niners were consistently depleted at the linebacker spot) should be cause for concern, but perhaps a change of coaching voice in Raheem Morris can see him unlock his undoubted talent.
Martin certainly has a higher ceiling than Winters has displayed, even if his floor is currently much lower.
Garret Wallow
I think I'm out on a limb with this one, as even beat writer Matt Barrows didn't list Garrett Wallow as an available linebacker on the roster, but I'm wondering if Wallow might be sneakily making his way up the mental depth chart in the mind of the 49ers.
Wallow was something of a desperation heave, only picked up in December off waivers from the Denver Broncos following San Francisco's linebacker depth getting decimated. Despite that, however, he appeared in four regular-season games and started two playoff games, impressing in limited duty. Wallow was definitely one of the unsung heroes of the 49ers' epic playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, recording 11 overall tackles and deflecting a pass, while playing a staggering 72 defensive snaps.
He's been pretty consistent on special teams, too.
The 49ers re-signed him to a one-year deal in March, and I'd be surprised if he's not heavily in the competition to back up at the weakside spot come the summer. In fact, the all-out brawl for linebacker spots on the roster, taking in the likes of Tatum Bethune and Jalen Graham, may be one of the best battles to track over the offseason program.
It might be a wild shot. But I was also one of the first to call Tatum Bethune's elevation to a key depth piece on the roster. So let's see. Wallow will certainly put up a fight, and Morris is unlikely to be wed to Martin's lofty draft status if Wallow does indeed beat him out.
The best-case scenario for the 49ers might actually be that both make the roster, showing versatility to step in at all three linebacker spots; more youth and speed, particularly when Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner won't go on forever, could be key.
Perhaps Wallow follows a similar career path to former 49er Azeez Al-Shaair.
Intrigue abounds.
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