The absolute No. 1 thing San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan would love is if the bulk of their 2026 NFL Draft winds up becoming a major component to their roster over the next few years.
Should that happen, it'd help ensure all those analysts and pundits who criticized the many overreaches made by Lynch and Co. fully eat crow.
Unfortunately, no one will fully know how that plays out for a long, long time. None of the players the Niners selected have taken an NFL snap yet, but that doesn't change the fact San Francisco executed some awfully big reaches.
Particularly with Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling at No. 33 overall and running back Kaelon Black in Round 3.
If anything, the sheer volume of criticism the 49ers have received should be enough to prompt some shakeups with their draft evaluation and process going forward.
And there's one more voice added to the condemnation.
Pro Football Focus joins the fray criticizing 49ers' 2026 draft class
Combing through all 32 teams and every one of the 257 prospects selected, Pro Football Focus didn't shy away from slamming the Niners' crop of eight picks, ultimately giving it a D-grade.
For Stribling, PFF had him ranked No. 122 overall on the big board, while Black was ranked 187th but was picked at No. 90 overall. Offensive tackle Carver Willis was the biggest reach, 398th on PFF's big board but picked 127th overall, but day-three value matters nowhere near as much as players selected on days one and two.
PFF was happy about the fourth-round pickup of Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, though, suggesting San Francisco got great value on a player who ranked 70th on the big board but was ultimately selected at No. 107 overall.
That was pretty much it, though, as far as good value was concerned.
Perhaps some of the 49ers picks end up being worthwhile players, eventually helping critics forget about draft positioning and reaches.
But, if any/all of them flop, pundits will continue to call out the numerous reaches as a major problem.
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