The San Francisco 49ers were accused of reaching with their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, at No. 33 overall. And while trading down twice beforehand helped alleviate the reach to an extent, it hasn't completely erased the widespread criticism associated with general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan's efforts.
After the draft, though, both Shanahan and Lynch admitted the Round 1 trade-downs were in light of players they liked getting selected ahead of their original 27th overall pick.
So, what if said players continued to fall? Would the Niners have reached anywhere near as much? Perhaps not.
In fact, it's probably safe to assume San Francisco was rather upset at the fact several targets ended up getting drafted just ahead of where it was slated to pick, often prompting the numerous trade-downs Lynch pulled off throughout the entirety of the draft.
Particularly these five who ended up going just before the 49ers were on the clock.
No. 1: WR KC Concepcion (24th overall to CLE)
If Stribling was a high priority for the Niners, it's fair to suggest Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion was of the same mold, and it wasn't hard to find the former Aggies pass catcher mocked to San Francisco in the weeks leading up to the draft.
One of the better separators in this year's class, Concepcion could have been a direct replacement for the disgruntled Brandon Aiyuk on the 49ers roster, except the Cleveland Browns stole the former right out from under the Niners' plans by grabbing him with the No. 24 overall pick.
Plan B for San Francisco was then to trade down, trade down again and then select Stribling as a contingency.
No. 2: DB Dillon Thieneman (25th overall to CHI)
Lynch and Shanahan said there were "a few players" they would have selected at No. 27, had they fallen to that spot. And while there were far less connections to Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, it certainly would be hard for the 49ers to pass up one of the few blue-chip defenders from the 2026 class, especially after the former Duck was seen as a top-15 talent.
Safeties rarely get drafted in that range, though, so it's understandable why he tumbled down through Round 1 and almost made his way to the Niners.
Except, one pick after Cleveland stole Concepcion, the Chicago Bears reinforced their defense by using the 25th overall pick on Thieneman.
Bummer.
No. 3: DE Zion Young (45th overall to BAL)
Picking Stribling 33rd overall meant San Francisco wouldn't have a realistic shot to land one of the upper-echelon pass-rushers, such as Texas A&M's Cashius Howell or Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas, but Missouri's Zion Young might've still been in play with the 49ers holding the 58th overall pick.
Young ended up being selected much earlier than that, though, with the Baltimore Ravens grabbing him at No. 45 overall, part of a noteworthy run on defensive ends and edge rushers in Round 2.
The pickings were fairly slim at that point, prompting the 49ers to trade down again and into the early portion of the third round where they grabbed Texas Tech pass-rusher Romello Height at No. 70 overall.
No. 4: DB A.J. Haulcy (78th overall to IND)
LSU safety A.J. Haulcy might've been a nice settlement package in the wake of the Niners missing out on Thieneman in Round 1, and the need to find upgrades at the back end of the secondary is something Lynch and Co. pretty much avoided throughout the entire draft.
With Height the early Round 3 selection, watching Haulcy go 78th overall to the Indianapolis Colts denied San Francisco any shot at a starting-caliber safety.
Instead, the 49ers responded with arguably their biggest reach of the draft, Indiana running back Kaelon Black, at No. 90 overall.
No. 5: CB Julian Neal (99th overall to SEA)
Perhaps Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal, a Bay Area native, was never truly on the Niners' target list. But the late-round sleeper certainly should have been, and his stock was on the rise in the weeks leading into the draft.
San Francisco's decision to draft Black ultimately haunted the front office here, particularly if it was hoping Neal would continue to fall into Round 4 where most draft pundits had him tabbed.
Instead, the rival Seattle Seahawks helped close out the third round by spending the 99th overall pick on a player who should immediately boost their already formidable defensive backfield.
The 49ers could've used his talents, but the gamble on whether or not he'd continue falling ended up backfiring.
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