49ers 4-round mock draft leaves nothing to chance with injury insurance galore

The San Francisco 49ers have their offering of six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they're scattered about in a unique way. General manager John Lynch and Co. have first- and second-rounders, no third-rounder, and a whopping four selections in Round 4 to wrap things up.

This gives the Niners a pun-intended golden opportunity to build depth at key positions.

They've been ravaged by injuries throughout head coach Kyle Shanahan's tenure, putting his staff under tons of pressure to get the most out of their roster's unheralded reserves.

First order of business in this four-round mock draft? Add some fresh young talent to the offense with a new blocker and a dynamic pass-catcher for Brock Purdy.

Picking all the way down at No. 27 overall presents a challenge that comes with achieving the standard the Niners have set in the Shanahan era, yet the stars just might align nicely for them in Round 1.

49ers mock draft headlined by intriguing upgrade to the offensive line

Round 1, Pick 27 — Emmanuel Pregnon, OL, Oregon

Reigning first-team All-American Emmanuel Pregnon is one of the cleanest prospects in the entire class. The position he plays is bound to push him down the draft board, as is the presence of the one guard who may be selected before him, Penn State's Vega Ioane.

But Pregnon isn't some chopped-liver consolation prize for the Niners. He'd lift the entire offensive line to another level, and give the unit a devastating combination on the left side next to legendary left tackle Trent Williams (assuming his contract spat is resolved in due time).

All-world tailback Christian McCaffrey would love to have the Williams-Pregnon tandem paving running lanes for him. Pregnon logged a 93.0 PFF zone-blocking grade last year, which makes him a perfect fit for Shanahan's scheme.

Six years of college ball gave Pregnon plenty of reps and developmental time. He'd ready to step in as the starting left guard in Week 1. Oh, and he surrendered only one sack and two QB pressures in 2025.

One last note: Pregnon has experience at both guard spots. If injuries hit the interior o-line, he can kick over to right guard if need be.

Round 2, Pick 58 — Skyler Bell, WR, UConn

San Francisco paid big money to Mike Evans in free agency, and also acquired Christian Kirk. That gives Purdy a decent trio of wideouts along with 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall. That said, Skyler Bell has legit inside-outside versatility and is a YAC machine who'd be an ideal fit in Shanahan's West Coast passing attack.

Kirk might be a decent WR3 option for this year. Evans might make it to the end of his contract. If either of them gets banged up, Shanahan can't feel great about the non-household names waiting in the wings.

Last season at UConn, Bell had 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 TDs. He's a stupendous route-runner with excellent change of direction who scorched the field at his pro day workout. He could very well beat out Kirk and start in the slot as a rookie.

Round 4, Pick 127 — Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin

From SFA to SF? Charles Demmings is perhaps my favorite small-school prospect in this draft. Demmings missed one tackle in his final collegiate season, and yielded a 39.8 passer rating. He's as competitive as they come, and seems to have the mental makeup that will offset any concerns about his massive leap in competition from the FCS to the NFL.

Look no further than this excellent profile by The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner. There are multiple great reads on Demmings out there. Check out his quote here, though, about his decision to back out of the transfer portal after certain people influenced him to enter it, purely for financial reasons:

"I heard two things from everyone: ‘Do you want to be the highest-paid (player) or do you want to just be paid well?’...No one said, ‘What do you need from a coaching staff?’ or ‘What do you need from a school or teammates? I want to be developed. I want to be turned into a better man — a better player. I want to make it to the NFL, and I want to stick there. SFA turned me from a boy to a man. I met God here. I wanted to leave a legacy, not just at SFA, but in the FCS. You can make it here, man. You can do it."

Tell me with a straight face, dear reader, that you wouldn't be fired up to have Demmings as a primary backup at boundary cornerback and a special teams ace in San Francisco.

Better scoop him up if he's there at Pick 127 before another needy team does.

Round 4, Pick 133 — Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame

Jake Tonges is one of the more underrated tight ends in the sport. However, the 49ers need another body at this position group with George Kittle coming off a torn Achilles.

Eli Raridon is a willing blocker who helped Notre Dame superstar Jeremiyah Love break loose on many explosive runs. He has the speed (4.62 40 at the Combine) to stretch the field, evident in his 282 deep yards from this past year. That number led all tight ends in the country.

Round 4, Pick 138 — J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois

Williams knows how to take care of his body, but let's face it, he turns age 38 in July. If his contract dispute drags deep into the offseason program or training camp, that likely puts him at greater risk to get hurt as he knocks off the rust and gets his football sea legs back under him.

Couldn't hurt to have a somewhat reliable left tackle option behind him, and a soft succession plan of sorts. That's where J.C. Davis enters the picture. He was a four-year college starter at New Mexico and Illinois. In his swan song season with the Illini, Davis committed one single penalty compared to nine in 2024.

That upward trajectory and ample time on the field should serve Davis well as he transitions to the NFL. Could be a diamond in the rough in a draft that doesn't have many awesome prospects at such a premium position.

Round 4, Pick 139 — Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC

The Niners' local scouts should know this man very well. I promise Bishop Fitzgerald isn't my final mock draft pick just because he happens to have a dope surname. He had five interceptions and a 90.8 PFF coverage grade to finish his college career strong. Not a bad missed tackle rate either at 10.2 percent.

Fitzgerald doesn't have elite straight-line speed, yet he does possess great lateral quickness (6.89 3-cone drill) and the uncanny ability to diagnose passing concepts.

I'd trust Fitzgerald more to step in for Ji'Ayir Brown or Malik Mustapha at safety if need be than anyone on the 49ers' current secondary depth chart. That includes 2025 fifth-rounder Marques Sigle. While he's a more dynamic athlete than Fitzgerald, Sigle is a total liability against the pass.