It's easy to cry foul when it isn't the player that's mocked most often, but the 49ers rank among the most athletic draft classes in the NFL in a move surely by design.
It's safe to say the San Francisco 49ers didn't have the most heralded class from the 2026 NFL Draft, with immediate reactions ranging from "they reached on prospects" to "they lost their damn minds."
Of course, we won't really know for a while how the draft class stacks up. What we do know, however, is the Niners had something important in mind when selecting their players.
Read More: 49ers' best, worst and most surprising picks from their 2026 NFL Draft class
49ers drafted one of the most athletic classes of 2026
One asset all of San Francisco's draft picks have in common is they're very good athletes for their positions. The 49ers had a conscious gameplan to take guys who were physically gifted, even if they were perceived to be reaches.
Which NFL teams had the most athletic draft classes in the 2026 NFL Draft?
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 25, 2026
The @ChicagoBears, @BuffaloBills, @Raiders, @49ers and @Saints each averaged an 80+ NGS athleticism score across their first seven picks.
See the full list at https://t.co/KG7TomIZYW powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/nARzxYSclE
While the graphic says the first seven draft picks, the eighth draft pick the 49ers took in Enrique Cruz Jr. not only met the mold, but he was the single speediest offensive lineman in the entire draft class:
RD 5 | PK #179 - 49ers: Enrique Cruz OT, Kansas
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 25, 2026
Cruz reached the fastest top speed (20.69 mph) of any OL who ran the 40 at this year’s Combine. He also ranked among the top two OL in the vertical (35") and broad jump (9'8"). https://t.co/i7idaJCnHc
The 49ers took this viewpoint into the draft, and it's not hard to see the overall logic. The draft class provided:
- Two dynamic weapons in De'Zhaun Stribling and Kaelon Black
- Two athletic offensive linemen in Cruz Jr. and Carver Willis
- Two dynamic pass-rushers in edge Romello Height and defensive tackle Gracen Halton
- Two chess pieces on defense in linebacker Jaden Dugger and cornerback Ephesians Prysock
It's entirely too early to say whether or not this will be a good, average or horrible class for San Francisco, but fans can at least be assured these were not just random selections but a draft class with a set gameplan in mind.
With that taken into account, fans should rely less on draft boards or who was commonly mocked to the team and, at least giving the newest batch of 49ers the benefit of the doubt until we see what they can provide.
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