The San Francisco 49ers haven’t exactly developed a pipeline of talent through the draft recently, leaving the foundation of their team in question in the coming years. Running back is a perfect example. They missed on picks in back-to-back seasons, then pulled the plug and said, “Enough of this, let’s go get an All-Pro.”
There’s more than one way to build a team, but the Niners have gone the expensive route because their draft picks haven’t panned out. This is a somewhat make-or-break year for development.
The draft class doesn’t need to turn into multiple perennial All-Pros, but the 49ers can’t afford for Romello Height to be Drake Jackson.
Let’s get into the winners and losers now that the NFL Draft is over for the 49ers.
Winners
The secondary
Safety was a popular pick for the 49ers in mock drafts, but the team did not use a draft pick on a safety. The team said they envision Jaden Dugger as an off-ball linebacker, while Ephesians Prysock is in the mold of a press-man cornerback. For now, it appears that the Niners are heading into the 2026 season with the same secondary as they did in 2025.
Marques Sigle started the season, but once Malik Mustapha returned from injury, Ji’Ayir Brown joined him as the permanent safety duo. Sigle will be given the opportunity to start. The safety options on the market are thin. Unless the Niners trust a veteran who is either over the hill or coming off an injury, the draft as a sign the team is content with their safety room, or else they would’ve made a move at some point in the draft.
Mykel Williams
Mykel Williams is expected to be ready for training camp after recovering from a torn ACL, according to John Lynch. The former first-rounder couldn’t be walking into a better situation.
One of the 49ers’ third-round picks in this draft ended up being Osa Odighizuwa, who is a year removed from leading all defensive tackles in pressures. Odighizuwa’s numbers dipped last season, but that was due to the moves Dallas made.
On obvious passing downs, Mykel gets Romello Height on one side, who was one of the most explosive pass rushers in the draft, especially when you think in terms of short-area quickness. On the other he gets Nick Bosa. And he’ll be playing next to Odighizuwa.
The 49ers’ draft put Williams in the batter’s box with runners in scoring position and no outs. He’s walking into every hitter’s dream this season.
Robert Jones
The Cardinals signed a running back this offseason. He was under the impression that they’d start. Then Arizona turned around and drafted a running back with the No. 3 overall pick. It’s a tough business.
That’s an extreme example of Robert Jones’ situation, but he was probably thinking he was competing against seventh-rounder Connor Colby and sixth-rounder Nick Zakelj. So when the 49ers didn’t select an offensive lineman until Day 3, Jones became one of the winners on the roster.
Carver Willis had 18 starts at right tackle and 10 on the left side, but he’s destined to play inside as a pro. Realistically, he’ll knock Colby or Zakelj off the roster and serve as a backup. If he ends up beating out Jones, then that doesn’t sound like the worst problem on the team’s hands.
But Jones was quite good in 2024 under Mike McDaniel. If he can get back to that level, it’s difficult to envision a rookie outplaying him.
Losers
The wide receivers who can’t stay healthy
Losing Brandon Aiyuk was crippling to the wide receiver room. Aiyuk’s listed at 200 pounds, but he plays much bigger than that. In the year and a half since Aiyuk’s injury, the Niners have relied on smaller receivers whose bodies have not been able to hold up in the NFL. Jacob Cowing’s hamstring injury lingered all season. Jordan Watkins missed his window to get on the field because of an injury. Ricky Pearsall has played 13 games in two seasons.
The path to De’Zhaun Stribling playing is rather easy. He should slide into Jauan Jennings’ role with the ability to move around the formation. If Mike Evans misses time, Stribling can play X and be the team’s big-bodied isolated receiver. Unlike Demarcus Robinson, teams have to respect Stribling’s ability to run by them.
But for Cowing, Pearsall, and even Watkins, drafting a wide receiver with the first pick is the 49ers’ way of putting the injured group of receivers on notice. In a perfect world, Cowing, Pearsall, and Stribling make up the wide receiver room for the next few seasons. But the former two will need to prove they can be reliable this year.
The 2027 free agency class
Keion White was probably hoping the 49ers would pick literally any other position to begin the third round. That would’ve given him an opportunity to play as a starter, potentially.
The writing is on the wall for 31-year-old Luke Gifford’s future after the team drafted Jaden Dugger in the fifth round. The same is true for one or both of Darrell Luter Jr. and Siran Neal, with the addition of Ephesians Prysock. Nick Zakelj can’t feel great about his roster spot as it stands, either.
What do these players have in common? They’re unrestricted free agents in 2027. The 49ers added players in the draft who were athletic, but could also fill depth spots at positions they’d need to sign after the season is over.
Isaac Guerendo
For the third season in a row, the 49ers drafted a running back. Unfortunately for him, Guerendo was the first runner to be drafted. He had as many carries last year as Kyle Shanahan and caught as many passes as John Lynch. Guerendo even played himself off kickoff returns.
Guerendo fits the height-weight-speed profile the 49ers apparently covet, but his style does not match what Shanahan is looking for in a running back. If it did, the team would have found a way to get a speedy player like Guerendo involved in the offense last year.
Instead, he’s looking up at the depth chart. Christian McCaffrey will be RB1 as long as he can walk. The workload figures to be lighter for McCaffrey in 2026, but that’ll be because of Jordan James and Kaelon Black.
The football politics are against Guerendo in this battle. He could be on the outside looking in when it comes time for the 49ers to cut down their roster at the end of August.
