The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of needs to address this offseason, and they figure to use the 2026 NFL Draft to try and fill some of those roster holes.
One round in particular could make or break the team's entire draft.
The Niners currently have seven picks in the upcoming draft, but three of them are in the fourth round. That means nearly half of San Francisco's picks will fall between the No. 127 and No. 138 overall picks in the draft.
That will obviously be a pivotal round.
In recent years, the 49ers have not had a ton of luck in the fourth round of the draft. Here are all of the names the Niners have drafted in the fourth round since the start of the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era:
RB Joe Williams (2017)
DT Kentavius Street (2018)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (2019)
OL Spencer Burford (2022)
S Malik Mustapha (2024)
RB Isaac Guerendo (2024)
WR Jacob Cowing (2024)
DT CJ West (2025)
WR Jordan Watkins (2025)
Probably the best pick out of all of those names is Wishnowsky. When your best drafted player out of nine names is a punter, that's typically not a good sign.
The last time San Francisco had three fourth-round picks was in 2024, and those names have not aged well at all. Guerendo was basically shut down all of 2025 as he did not take a single carry and was relegated to special teams duty.
Mustapha was impressive in his rookie season, but he took a step back in 2025, and it's unclear if he will be a long-term part of the roster.
Cowing has barely played at all in his two seasons and was hurt for basically all of the 2025 season. He could be another potential cut candidate, depending on what the 49ers do at wide receiver this offseason.
If they do choose to go with a receiver in the fourth round, maybe they will finally get some better injury luck as Watkins was also on the shelf for much of his rookie season due to an injury suffered in the preseason.
The Niners have to be hoping they hit on at least one of their fourth-round picks this time around. San Francisco needs a wide receiver and an edge rusher, but there are so many positions it can improve at.
Drafting is always a roll of the dice, especially in the mid-to-late rounds, but maybe the Niners will get lucky and strike some gold this time around.
They may have to in order to have a good draft.