The San Francisco 49ers enter the NFL Draft with a number of needs, and no big glaring hole on the roster than needs to be addressed. While on the one hand that’s a good thing because it means they did enough work in free agency to plug up some holes, it makes things difficult on general manager John Lynch who is faced with a really difficult dilemma.
Going into last year’s NFL Draft, it was pretty obvious that the 49ers were going to address the defensive line in a big way. After cutting a lot of veteran talent in the offseason, the Niners had committed themselves to getting younger and cheaper up front and they did just that, spending their first three picks on defensive linemen.
It would be a shock if San Francisco spent its three first picks on the same position group this time around. While wide receiver and edge rusher are seemingly perennial needs for the team, there are so many different ways the 49ers can attack this year’s draft, especially in the first round.
There is no consensus on how the San Francisco 49ers will attack the 2026 NFL Draft
They could try to add an exciting wide receiver in the first round like KC Concepcion or Omar Cooper Jr. which would position them nicely for the future since there’s a chance that the two veterans they signed in the offseason, Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, could be gone after one season.
They could take a swing at another edge rusher even though they have struggled to find solid talent at that position in the draft ever since selecting Nick Bosa back in 2019. They could also finally take an offensive lineman in the first round, something they haven’t done since Mike McGlinchey back in 2018. They could even shock everyone and bolster the secondary by picking either a cornerback or a safety.
There’s just no consensus on what the 49ers will do this time around which is a bit scary because every draft could determine whether the Niners can remain relevant and competitive going forward but it also is exciting because of the possibilities that will be before Lynch later this month.
Obviously the Niners have six picks so they can try to cover their bases to the best of their abilities. But that first round pick feels so wide open compared to last year. The Niners could make a strictly win-now move or they could try to draft a successor to Trent Williams. Or they could try to split the difference and get a guy who should contribute next season but really won’t be a huge component of the team until they are older.
Draft decisions are never easy and ultimately it’s just a crapshoot, but with no glaring holes like last season Lynch has a difficult task ahead of him to determine what is best for the team.
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