Something is rotten in Santa Clara.
The 49ers draft process isn’t just off, it’s systematically broken. The 2026 class is just the latest entry in a 5+ year pattern of pissing down their own leg.
Here's a summary of the 2026 class:
- A 60-pick reach in Round 2.
- A flawed “need” player over higher-upside talent.
- And, of course, the "Shanahan classic:" a RB taken 40-70 spots earlier than expected while premium positions sit untouched.
This isn’t misfortunate. It’s a pronounced, fundamental failure to understand value and evaluate talent. One reach is defensible. Doing it every year, while consistently flaunting the board, is malpractice.
Take Stribling: the Niners passed on higher-graded players at positions of need - Bisontis, T.J. Parker, Kayden McDonald, Cashius Howell, C.J. Allen, Colton Hood (all who went within the next 8-9 picks) - to draft a traits-based WR projected for the middle of Round 3, if not later. Best case, he develops into a good player but contributes nothing this year while immediate impact options at guard or edge go elsewhere.
Then they trade back from 58, passing on players like Anthony Hill and Keyron Crawford, only to land Romello Height, a 25-year-old with a capped ceiling. Even if he produces, the opportunity cost is glaring. You don’t pass on young, ascending talent for marginal contributors unless you’ve got a broken framework for evaluating talent.
And then the signature move: reaching ~60 picks for Kaelon Black. A fine player, sure, but with no distinguishing traits (call him Jordan James redux...but taken 60 picks earlier). A Day 3 back taken on Day 2 while OL (Trey Zuhn, Gennings Dunker), WR (Chris Bell), EDGE (Barham), and S (Jalon Kilgore) talent remained on the board. It’s not just suboptimal, it’s flat-out incoherent.
At some point, this stops being debatable. Under @JohnLynch49ers, this regime has gone 6 drafts without producing a single Pro Bowl player. The results aren’t unlucky; they’re consistent. And consistently mediocre at best (see 2024/2025) and disastrous (2021, 2022 and 2023) at worst.
@JedYork, tolerating this is a choice. And that choice is settling for permanent underachievement. Enough is enough.
cc: @grantcohn@sportslarryk@Chase_Senior@SharpFootball@dieter@hutchdiesel
@Coach_Yac Absolutely garbage draft. Same dumb ass playbook of all overdrafting WR and RB in rounds 1-3… who always flame out and don’t see the field. You would think they’d fn learn?!?
@kenvac75@grantcohn Browns crushing this draft… Grabbed two stud Tackles.. two of the best WRs in the draft and the best safety in the draft (who the Niners should’ve selected at 58)… Lynch just killing the future. Again.
@MattMahanSJ You’re polling sub 5% and you’re not going to be Governor!.. if you’re not a technocrat plant you’ll do what’s right by the Democratic Party here and DROP OUT!!
@grantcohn A 3rd round pick is cheap for one of the best interior rushers in the league. Besides that’s where Lynch likes to draft shitty kickers, Pratice Squad TEs and RBs that don’t make the team… so this is a huge W!
@Lex_Jurgen@Coach_Yac@Schultz_Report Don’t think we overpaid at all... I see Cowboys fans in shambles that a 3rd round pick is all they got in return.. they were hoping for Warner AND a 2nd. Hahaha.
@loganthart@grantcohn They’re paying Luke Farrel $500K more per year (on a 3 year deal) to not block and not catch any balls at TE. Give me the electric return man that can change the field… on a one year deal.
@grantcohn@BayGang49erZ He operated as the X the majority of the season. Moved to slot at times when Mannigham came back and when Crabtree did.. but majority of the season was at X.
@grantcohn@BayGang49erZ Come on Grant. I like a lot of your “disappointed 49ers fan” takes and analysis but that’s just false… Anquan Boldin was primarily used as an "X" receiver for the 49ers in 2013, particularly following the season-ending injury to Crabtree… which happened in OTAs. 🤨