The San Francisco 49ers have had a rough 2025 season, to say the least.
Injuries all across the board, including their starting quarterback and two best defenders, San Francisco was on an early trajectory to not only winning the NFC West but even being a serious contender for a deep playoff run.
And now, there are a lot of questions regarding if the Niners can compete with some of the NFC's bigger names after a decisive loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10.
It's still early to think about the offseason. However, it's never too soon to think of ways to improve the roster.
Especially with so many questions in the air about who will be coming back for 2026.
The best way San Francisco can improve its long-term outlook is in the bread and butter for the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch tandem: the NFL Draft.
There are plenty of big names the 49ers should be looking at drafting right away in the first round. But, we'll take a look at three key prospects who will definitely stand out on San Francisco's big board come April.
3 players 49ers must be targeting in Round 1 of 2026 NFL Draft
USC WR Makai Lemon
It may be wishful thinking, and the 49ers may need to make a big trade to move up for USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. But if there is one receiver in the first round who fits almost every criteria Shanahan wants, it's Lemon.
Lemon has been having a productive year so far for the Trojans. He's caught 61 passes on 81 targets for 937 yards and seven touchdowns. Taking a deeper look into his numbers shows why he would be a threat in Shanahan's offense. According to Pro Football Focus, he has been averaging an impressive 7.4 yards after the catch per reception. He is also tied for third for missed tackles forced.
It's the type of production the Niners have been missing since trading away Deebo Samuel last offseason.
Lemon would be a huge asset in terms of being a deep threat as well. He's tied for sixth in deep catches (11) and is 16th in deep yards (377). And he would be a great player to use in the slot as the majority of his plays (71 percent) would come from that area. He's 14th in yards out of the slot with 623 (roughly 66.5 percent of his yardage).
If the 49ers choose to move on from Jauan Jennings in the offseason, they could use Lemon in the slot with Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall playing on the outside.
Texas Tech Edge, David Bailey
The biggest driving force for the Niners defense is a strong and consistent pass rush. They could get this done with one of the many big name prospects at the edge, particularly in David Bailey.
No position group for the 49ers has been hit harder than at defensive line. Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are both done for the year with ACL tears. Bryce Huff has been dealing with a hamstring injury the last few weeks. And Yetur Gross-Matos has been placed on injured reserve.
The 49ers are tied for last place in the league with 12 sacks, and only Huff has recorded more than two sacks this season. It's been a lot for the Niners to have to overcome in terms of where they would like to be.
Which is why they need a player who not only can produce in getting to the quarterback, but who will be on the field consistently.
Bailey has 12 sacks already this season along with 16 quarterback hits and 38 hurries. He's got a pass-rush win rate of 24.4 percent and has also made a case for himself as a reliable run defender with a run defense grade of 74.2. That's a huge upgrade for San Francisco's edge players, considering Bosa is the only player with a run grade above 60.
Penn State Guard, Olaivavega Ioane
The offensive line has been a major talking point for some time now. At this time, Trent Williams is still performing well even as he approaches turning age 40. Plus, Colton McKivitz has shown a lot of improvement in his play as a starting right tackle.
The big area of concern is on the interior of the offensive line.
Dominick Puni has had a noticeable sophomore slump after a strong rookie season. A lot of this is because of the fact that he's playing hurt after suffering a PCL strain during preseason. The same is happening with rookie left guard Connor Colby, who suffered a groin injury in practice before Week 3. Since then, he's been a liability in pass protection. After getting his first start in Week 2 where he earned a pass-blocking grade of 73.1, he has yet to score at least a 50 in terms of his pass blocking.
The only other viable guard on the Niners roster is Ben Bartch, who has impressed this season when he's been available. Of course, he has also been hit with the injury bug as he suffered a high-ankle sprain earlier this season.
Every other guard has either been too inconistent in their play or has not been able to see the field.
The 49ers taking a flier on Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane would be a welcome move to improve the O-line's success. He has a lot of versatility, as he's played every role you can imagine. His blocking grades are solid, and he has one of the best true pass-set pass-block grade at 92.0.
Granted, he has missed time with an undisclosed injury. But having the depth and versatility on the O-line would be important to making sure San Francisco can not only continue running back Christian McCaffrey's success on the ground, but in protecting quarterback Brock Purdy, too.