It's no secret that the San Francisco 49ers went against the grain in this year's NFL draft. General manager John Lynch went off the beaten path, often reaching for players who were projected to fall another round or two.
He also widely ignored age concerns. Both Romello Height and Kaelon Black are now 25, and De'Zhaun Stribling will turn 24 in December. Some might question whether such a strategy is a recipe for success, but now entering Week 10, the 49ers' rookie class is proving those doubters wrong.
The success of the San Francisco rookie class hasn't been lost on tight end George Kittle, and he admitted as much in his postgame comments after the team's victory in Week 9.
"I love drafting these older players. It's awesome because I feel like they understand the sense of urgency that comes with football... The better our younger guys play, the better the Niners are going to be," Kittle said.
49ers' peculiar draft class is proving to be exactly what Kittle and company need
Though they didn't come into the NFL highly touted, San Francisco's 2026 batch of rookies have made a name for themselves. Even with the aforementioned Stribling playing in just half a game before getting hurt, the draft class as a whole is doing exactly what has been asked of them.
Height has been excellent coming off the edge. Though he has yet to entrench himself as an every-down rusher, he has provided the pass rush with the depth they need to perform deep into the season.
Running back Kaelon Black has been a respectable 1B to Christian McCaffrey's 1A. Thanks to the Indiana product, CMC has less than 50 percent of the team's rushing attempts. Last year, he had 65 percent of the team's attempts. Black has been effective with his opportunities, carrying the ball for 4.5 yards per clip.
Perhaps the biggest breakout was Gracen Halton before he suffered a devastating ankle injury against the Las Vegas Raiders. Though the 49ers will miss him for the rest of the season, there is no denying that they struck gold with the fourth-round pick.
With so many veterans on the roster, George Kittle is right: It makes total sense to seek out older prospects in the draft. Future Hall of Famers like Mike Evans, CMC, and Kittle himself don't have the time or patience to babysit immature kids who still have a college mindset. They have Super Bowl aspirations, and they don't want anyone coming into the locker room and wasting their time.
Thankfully, the 49ers' front office knows this, and they drafted accordingly, setting the team up for yet another deep postseason run.
Add us as a preferred source on Google