The San Francisco 49ers had quite the busy offseason, be it the work they did in free agency or the eight selections they made during the 2026 NFL Draft.
As a result, many analysts have placed the 49ers back into contender status as they hope to make a push for a Super Bowl again in 2026. San Francisco added talent at running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and cornerback, and could get legitimate contributors from all of those spots.
Still, through all of the moves,
there were some that made a ton of sense, and some that still seem a bit headscratching. What were the best and worst moves of the offseason for the 49ers?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell broke down the top moves for all 16 NFC teams this week and had the Osa Odighizuwa trade as San Francisco’s top move this offseason.
“As injuries ripped this 49ers front apart before leaves started to change colors last fall, the 49ers very clearly had a hole on their roster,” Barnwell wrote. “While Nick Bosa’s going to be back on the edge, and the 49ers will hope for more from Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins after quiet rookie seasons, new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris needed a disruptor on the interior.
“Enter Odighizuwa, who was surplus to requirements in Dallas after the Cowboys elected to keep Kenny Clark next to Quinnen Williams. Odighizuwa has never topped five sacks in a pro season, but he consistently runs more impressive pressure metrics. He racked up 23 knockdowns in each of the 2024 and 2025 seasons. And Odighizuwa’s 3.4% quick pressure rate over those years is in line with the 3.7% rate Williams has posted over his past two campaigns.
“The 49ers will pay Odighizuwa $37.3 million over the next two years, which is quite affordable given that the top of the defensive tackle market is already north of $30 million per season. Odighizuwa is closer to good than great, and he’s not as effective against the run, but he is a much-needed pass rusher for the 49ers, who needed all the defensive line help they could get by the end of last season.”
The metrics are bullish on Odighizuwa, who should bring pass-rushing juice to the interior and help stabilize the 49ers’ defensive line.
As for the worst move? Barnwell believes that was drafting Indiana running back Kaelon Black in the third round last month.
“Even coach Kyle Shanahan admits that he has a bad habit of taking middle-round running backs who don’t work out,” Barnwell said. “We’re past the point where the 49ers are running the Shanahan zone scheme from 2012 and can credibly just plug and play undrafted free agents and expect elite results. But the 49ers have simply taken too many swings at this position, especially given the presence of Christian McCaffrey as one of the highest-paid backs in football at the lead role.
“The 49ers naturally hope and expect that Black, their third-round pick, won’t follow in the footsteps of Isaac Guerendo, Tyrion Davis-Price, Trey Sermon and Joe Williams, all backs Shanahan added in the middle rounds of drafts before quickly losing interest. However, ESPN’s Jordan Reid had Black as the 177th-best prospect in the draft on his board, and ESPN’s Matt Miller placed Black at No. 226. Shanahan pounced on Black at pick No. 90. I’d give one of the league’s best coaches some benefit of the doubt with his running back evaluations, but that might not be warranted given the evidence.“
The Black pick caught a lot of flak after the draft, as it was seen as one of the bigger reaches of the draft, given how slowly running backs were coming off the board. We’ll see how much he’s able to contribute as a rookie, but the 49ers have not gotten a consistent No. 2 behind Christian McCaffrey yet, and now are hoping Black can be that in the future.
