B
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers worked the phones like thieves and earned a B.
by hammertime140 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The 49ers treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending Round 4, Pick 39 on VJ Payne a full 61 spots early. The bottom line is a respectable B.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Getting Kilgore where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
Romello Height in pick No. 58 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jadarian Price in No. 80 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jalon Kilgore in pick 127 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No drama and no debate, Parker Brailsford went about where he belonged in the 133rd overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Caleb Douglas at the Round 4 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, VJ Payne well ahead of where he belonged. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Value with a capital V on DeMonte Capehart in pick No. 148, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.