Throughout the pre-draft process, Texas A&M's Chase Bisontis has been looked at as an early second-round talent, but there's still a chance he hears his name called in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, especially if the San Francisco 49ers are intrigued with his skillset with their 27th pick.
The 49ers would surprise a lot of people if they took Bisontis with the 27th pick, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Earlier this week, Niners' beat reporter Matt Maiocco floated Bisontis as a possibility at 27, but his words are starting to look like less of a coincidence and more of a pattern.
The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler is the latest person to hop on the Bisontis hype train, revealing he thinks the 21-year-old will be off the board by the time Thursday night ends. And if that's the case, odds are that the 49ers are the team he ends up with-assuming they forego other needs.
""I think he's going to go in the 1st round.""Dane Brugler
Brugler's words hold weight. Other than Daniel Jeremiah, he's probably the most respected NFL Draft analyst in the game right now. He's incredibly plugged in and does plenty of homework on basically every prospect imaginable, so if he has a first round grade on Bisontis, NFL front offices likely do too.
The San Francisco 49ers might not be the only team with a first-round grade on Chase Bisontis
Not only has Bisontis started to lap Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnon as the second-best interior OL prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft (behind Penn State guard Vega Ioane), he's three years younger than Pregnon. I'm not sure about you, but I would rather take a shot on the younger (and better) player.
Bisontis was the Aggies' right tackle as a freshman before moving to left guard, where he'd be a Day 1 starter in San Francisco. His arms are too short for him to project as an NFL tackle, but as an excellent pass-blocker and solid run blocker, Bisontis' athleticism makes him a perfect fit in the 49ers' zone blocking scheme.
However, the 49ers may not be the only team who covets the All-SEC lineman on Thursday. The team picking directly after them, the Houston Texans, badly need IOL help, so keeping the local talent in the state of Texas may be on their radar. In theory, this should be no issue with the Niners picking first, but this is the NFL Draft we're talking about. Anything can happen.
If the Texans are that high on him, it's not insane to suggest that they might trade up (and leap-frog San Francisco) to ensure they get their guy in Bisontis. Houston has four picks in the top 70, so they have the ammunition to move up, meaning the odds of Brugler's words coming true are pretty high.
This is either a major smokescreen meant to throw teams off the scent (especially Houston) of their true plans, or the Niners truly are interested in Bisontis. And we'll have our answer next week.
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