The San Francisco 49ers have a big decision to make with their first-round pick, with the 2026 NFL Draft coming up in less than a week. At No. 27, there’s a lot of uncertainty with how the board will fall above them, especially with varying projections from a class without many perceived blue-chip prospects.
When looking at mock drafts, wide receiver and offensive line have been the two positions mocked most for the 49ers, and it makes sense why. San Francisco has a need at offensive tackle with Trent
Williams’s retirement inching closer (and contract situation still unresolved), while the 49ers got older at wide receiver with the additions of Christian Kirk and Mike Evans.
Now, the 49ers have been spending some draft capital on receivers in recent years. They spent a fourth-round pick on Jordan Watkins last offseason. The year before, it was a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall and a fourth-round pick on Jacob Cowing. Those three have struggled with injuries early in their NFL careers.
If they do draft a receiver at No. 27, it would be the second time in three years that they’ve done so. Would that be a smart decision? ESPN’s Ben Solak disagrees.
“One of the earliest listed needs by most others for the 49ers is wide receiver. I disagree,” Solak wrote this week. “Mike Evans has plenty left to his game, and Ricky Pearsall plays well when healthy. Christian Kirk is a fine WR3, and Demarcus Robinson is a fine WR4. In that the 49ers will always funnel league-leading targets to Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, it’s wise team-building to try to cut corners at the receiver position.
“The 49ers should again look for a middle-rounds developmental type as they have done often in recent drafts (Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Danny Gray). They should just actually … hit on one. Chris Bell (Louisville) feels like a 49ers type.”
Instead, he suggests the 49ers to go after an edge rusher or a safety in the draft, while prioritizing an offensive lineman over a wide receiver.
“The bottom line: Complete the defensive reload with another splashy edge rusher and a starting safety. Don’t chase the flashy receiver when the meat-and-potatoes offensive lineman is there.”
I tend to agree with the thinking here. There aren’t many consensus first-round caliber wide receivers in this draft. Our Kyle Posey said earlier this month that he has four: Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, and Denzel Boston. Of those four, only Boston seems like a realistic possibility at No. 27.
There is quite a bit of talent on Day 2 at wide receiver in this draft (Chris Bell is one of those options), and the 49ers should prioritize a tackle in this draft. It’s much harder to find starting-level tackles than wide receivers, which is why a majority of the top starters at the position come in the first round. There are also other needs on the team.
I’ve hinted at safety being a sneaky position of need, and there are a couple of potential first-round safeties in this draft. While Caleb Downs is highly unlikely to fall to No. 27, Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman or Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could perhaps slide down and would be very solid targets there. We’ve seen how elite safeties can change defenses, and the 49ers’ room underwhelmed last season.
I understand the value of going after a receiver in the first round. It’s quickly become a premium position, and the draft offers younger and cheaper alternatives than shelling out top-tier money. But there’s been a ton of receiver talent deeper into the draft over the past few years, and that should be the case again this year on Day 2 and early Day 3.
So, it feels like a better decision to address a bigger need that doesn’t have as much depth in the first round.
