Being just a few days removed from the 2026 NFL Draft has revealed some pretty rough realities for the San Francisco 49ers and their class of selected rookies.
Maybe this year's crop isn't (or hopefully won't be) as infamous as the 2012 class, highlighted by wide receiver A.J. Jenkins going bust in the worst way possible. But the opinions on general manager John Lynch's work this year have been skeptical, at best, and downright critical, at worst.
Tack on FanSided NFL analyst Cody Williams as another who wasn't at all impressed with San Francisco's draft haul.
Williams recently put together grades for all 32 teams' draft classes, and you probably won't be shocked to hear at this point he wasn't dishing out exemplary grades for Lynch and Co.
Admitting he didn't issue any team a grade lower than a C, Williams nevertheless handed such to the 49ers for their efforts.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the only other team to receive a C-grade, while the other 30 squads all fared better to varying degrees.
FanSided puts 49ers' 2026 draft class into worst-of-the-worst category
For Williams' specific analysis on the Niners:
In most cases, the 49ers aren't going to draft highly on the consensus board as they value fit within Kyle Shanahan's system and their building more than most teams. Even if that's the case, it's hard to stomach both the De'Zhaun Stribling and Kaelon Black picks on Day 2. Those guys were expected to be Day 3 picks at best in this class, and they reached massively to get them.
More than that, it's worth noting that the 49ers reaching for scheme fit hasn't been as successful, especially on Day 2, as you'd expect.
The theme here is consistent with ones fans have already heard up to this point: reaches and value. Indeed, hardly any of San Francisco's picks ended up being of good value, and when at least two of the top three selections (Stribling and Black) were considered massive overreaches, it's inevitable such criticism will arise.
Granted, the convo is all about players who've yet to take a snap at the NFL level, so the evaluation is anything but complete.
And, if it's any solace, "winning" the NFL Draft doesn't generate any awards or trophies anyway.
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