Following a season that saw the San Francisco 49ers overachieve despite devastating injuries to pivotal players, they now find themselves at the precipice of adding youth to an aging roster.
The 49ers finished the season with a 12-5 record behind rivals Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks quickly dealt with the disjointed 49ers in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs, booting them from Super Bowl prospects and cementing the historical rivalry en route to their victory.
After bowing out to the Seahawks, the 49ers’ end-of-year standings, including the playoffs, locked them into the 27th draft pick of today’s NFL draft. In years past, the 49ers haven’t been able to stockpile talent in the first round of drafts due to the 49ers’ disastrous trade in 2021. Across 18 selections in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, only six players remain on the 90-man roster. Of the six, starting quarterback Brock Purdy is the only one of note.
49ers general manager John Lynch heads into the first draft round of the 2026 season with a comically bad track record of selections. As the team heads into the belly of the beast, it looks to fill weak spots.
The recent extension of 38-year-old left tackle Trent Williams should shut the door on any talks revolving around drafting a successor in the first round of the draft. After extending Williams, drafting an additional left tackle with pick 27 would be a shot to the foot when talking about Super Bowl chances.
NFL media heads Peter Schraeger and Mel Kiper of ESPN both predict the 49ers selecting an offensive tackle. If the 49ers do select one in the first round, it’d be a sign that John Lynch is more ignorant than I originally perceived.
Shanahan and Lynch have only ever selected an offensive lineman with a first-round pick in 2018, with rookie tackle Mike McGlinchey. Ever since, the 49ers have elected to select linemen later in the draft and develop them over the years. The drafting of a rookie offensive tackle wouldn’t let them see significant playing time in the 2026 season.
The 49ers must draft a player at pick 27 that can make an immediate impact, such as Seattle’s safety Nick Emmanwori last season and the Philadelphia Eagles’ cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the 2024 draft. Both players finished runner-up in the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in their respective rookie seasons.
The two previous Super Bowl champions, the Eagles in 2024 and the Seahawks in 2025, were driven towards a championship by a deep defensive line cohort. The 49ers’ group, in contrast, is missing the depth and talent that had previously propelled them short of a Super Bowl victory in years prior.
To put it in perspective, the 49ers’ defensive line was made thin and poor without edge rusher Nick Bosa or defensive end Mykell Williams. Across the league last season, the 49ers ranked dead last in sacks at 20, while the Rams and Seahawks tied for seventh with 47.
When the 49ers fail to address pass rush in the draft, instead aiming to acquire pass rushers through other means such as trading or free agency, they have a bad track record.
Selecting an edge rusher in the first round would be ideal. It would allow for the 49ers to have a rotation of fresh legs that can get to the quarterback with ease. The team can’t depend on Bosa and Williams alone to carry the pass rush with both returning from season-ending ACL injuries.
Of the names that look to be available for the 49ers, defensive edge Malachi Lawrence from the University of Central Florida is a pick right up their alley. Lawrence has been described as a pure pass-rusher who wins with speed and bend rather than power.
Another avenue for the 49ers at pick 27 is wide receiver. The offseason signings of veterans Christian Kirk and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans bolster the wide receiver group that currently consists of unproven young players. Neither player will be on the 49ers’ long-term due to age and short-term contracts.
Selecting a receiver at pick 27 allows for a young pass catcher to develop under a great leader in Evans, while also saving the 49ers a lot of money in a market where wide receivers frequently reset the contract record for their position.
Denzel Boston, a wide receiver from the University of Washington, would be a great selection for the 49ers. Though his speed is questionable, he has a distinct ability to power through corners and create space with physicality rather than with finesse. Shanahan’s West Coast style of offense, in addition to Purdy’s precise throws, would allow Boston to thrive early on.
San Francisco has other areas that need to be addressed such as the defensive back group, but the blueprint for the 49ers has always been to rely on a deep and talented collection of defensive linemen and talented wideouts.
Though I’m doubtful that Lynch will stray away from his usual thought process, on the chance he selects an offensive tackle in the first round, I think it’d be a sign that change is necessary in the front office.
