Each day leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft — April 23-25 — TeamFB7 will break down a different team’s biggest draft need and the best selection to address it. Granted, teams will most often use their first-round pick on the best available player/value and not necessarily always their biggest need, so this isn’t going to compile together into a mock draft in the end. It’s more a breakdown of how each team could best address its most paramount priority if it chooses.
In other years, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan might well have been a shoo-in for NFL Coach of the Year last season.
Despite his roster falling apart all around him, Shanahan had the 12-win 49ers playing for the NFC West title and No. 1 seed/first-round playoff bye in Week 18 before ultimately losing that finale to the Seahawks. The Niners then knocked off the Eagles in the wildcard round before again losing to Seattle.
But it was remarkable they got that far considering …
– QB Brock Purdy missed eight games early in the season
– Former top WR Brandon Aiyuk never returned to the team after his 2024 knee injury and subsequent standoff with the organization, while WR Ricky Pearsall, the team’s 2024 first-round draft pick, was limited to nine games by a knee injury.
– Star EDGE Nick Bosa sustained a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3 while rookie EDGE Mykel Williams, the No. 11 overall pick in the draft, tore his ACL in Week 9 and reserve EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos was limited to eight games by a hip injury.
– Veteran LB and defensive leader Fred Warner sustained a season-ending broken/dislocated ankle in Week 6. His replacement Tatum Bethune sustained a season-ending groin injury in Week 18 and missed the playoffs.
– Elite LT Trent Williams missed that high-stakes Week 18 showdown with the Seahawks with a hamstring injury.
– Star TE George Kittle sustained a torn Achilles in the playoff win over the Eagles.
According to Aaron Schatz’s annual report, the 49ers had the fifth-most “adjusted games lost” to injury (115) in the NFL, which was actually an improvement from 2024 when they “led” the league with 141.2.
So merely being more healthy/fortunate in 2026 would make a massive difference for such a well-coached team, but let’s break down where the 49ers can further help themselves in the draft this week.
San Francisco picks in Round 1 (27th overall), 2 (58), 4 (127), 4 (133), 4 (138) and 4 (139).
What Are Biggest Needs For The San Francisco 49ers In 2026 NFL Draft?
Let’s start by crossing off the positions the 49ers don’t need …
That would include QB (Purdy), RB (Christian McCaffrey), TE (Kittle has a ways to go in his recovery, but Jake Tonges filled in exceptionally well when needed and was rewarded with a 2-year, $8-million contract), LB (Warner returns along with leading tackler Dee Winters and Bethune, Dre Geenlaw signed back with the team after one season in Denver along with other depth), S (Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha are returning starters) and likely DT (Osa Odighizuwa, who had 216 tackles, 34 TFLs and 17 sacks the last five seasons, was acquired from the Cowboys last month for a third-round pick to bolster the unit).
We’d rank the remaining needs in this order:
EDGE: Bosa is expected back for training camp, but will he be back to peak powers in 2026? Williams is further behind, but he also only had 1 sack and 4 TFLs in nine starts as a rookie before the injury, so it remains to be seen what impact he can make in the NFL. Sam Okuayinonu had 3 sacks each of the last two seasons, but he’s just rotational depth. Ditto for Keion White and the rest of the options. The 49ers need another high-upside option here.
WR: With Jauan Jennings off to free agency (and still unsigned while mistakenly thinking he’s a WR1), the 49ers moved on and signed longtime Buccaneers star Mike Evans, who should still be a great weapon for Purdy coming off an injury-plagued final season in Tampa Bay after 11 straight 1,000-yard campaigns. If Pearsall (36 catches for 528 yards in half a season) can ever stay on the field, he’s a fine No. 2 while the team signed veteran Christian Kirk, whose production dipped sharply the last two seasons for the Jaguars and Texans. Given that Kirk is suited to be a No. 3 at best at this point and Pearsall’s persistent injury setbacks (and, yes, bad luck), using a second-round pick on a wide receiver would make sense. But it’s not a big enough priority for No. 27.
OL: Trent Williams, the 12-time Pro Bowl and five-time All-Pro selection, is back at 38 years old (as of July) and may be near the end of the line, but that doesn’t mean the 49ers have to find his successor this year. They signed former Patriots tackle Vederian Lowe (a backup last year after starting in 2024) for 2 years and $9.25 million, so that’s their insurance plan on Williams’ health in 2026. The Niners do need a left guard, though. The rest of the starting OL returns, but the team patched LG together last season with Ben Bartch, Spencer Burford and 2025 seventh-rounder Connor Colby and then let Burford and Bartch depart as free agents. Colby graded out 69th out of 81 OGs per PFF, and the Niners signed free agents Brett Toth (who has 6 career starts in five seasons with the Eagles and Panthers) and Robert Jones (a starter for the Dolphins in 2024 but missed all last season with a neck injury for the Cowboys) on cheap one-year deals. Drafting a guard in the top half of the draft makes sound sense.
CB: Deommodore Lenoir is a four-year starter signed on a big extension through 2029. Renardo Green was graded 92nd out of 114 CBs by PFF in his second NFL season, and it’s no coincidence that the 49ers brought in a couple other options in free agency in Nate Hobbs (from the Packers) and Jack Jones (Dolphins) on 1-year deals. Meanwhile, 2025 third-rounder Upton Stout got 4 starts as a rookie and looks projected to man the nickel spot. San Francisco could be tempted to add more upside to the unit in the draft.
What Should 49ers Do In First Round Of 2026 NFL Draft?
For what it’s worth, noted draft analysts ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and The Ringer’s Todd McShay have the 49ers taking an offensive tackle here (Max Iheanachor and Caleb Lomu, respectively), but again, the 49ers don’t need to replace Williams this year. That can be done in the 2027 NFL Draft, and they already invested in fresh depth at tackle for 2026.
This is a team built to win now that needs much more pressing help at edge rusher.
There’s still upside to be had at the position at the end of the first round — maybe that’s Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Clemson’s T.J. Parker, Missouri’s Zion Young, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, etc.
It’s too much guesswork to speculate who will or won’t be on the board still at that point, but that’s the position the Niners need to address first. Parker, who had 41.5 TFLs, 21.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles in three seasons for Clemson, would be a good fit and value at No. 27.
