D
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers robbed the room for Golday. Final grade: D.
by Mosique2001 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The 49ers did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. They banked enough surplus on Golday to cover a lot of smaller sins.
The 49ers paired the rookies with proven help, Jalen Pitre leading the way. Job largely done: offensive lineman settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 27th overall pick they get a ballhawk on the outside, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Denzel Boston in Round 2, Pick 3. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They barely believed it either: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren still on the board at No. 82. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Circle this one: Jake Golday at the Round 3 slot is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They robbed the room for Connor Lew here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Bryce Lance all the way to pick No. 115, and they scooped it up. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jude Bowry in slot 138 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Joe Royer is a better player than the 139th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Skyler Gill-Howard in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Zxavian Harris at No. 163 is the proof. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kage Casey at pick No. 171 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Aamil Wagner at the 174th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick 220 is the definition of value, full stop. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good price on Eli Heidenreich in Round 7, Pick 27, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jaren Kanak in the Round 7 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A straight-up fair deal on Robert Spears-Jennings at pick 256, value and slot in agreement. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.