While all the attention in the NFL world is focused on free agency, the list of picks in next month’s draft was finalized on Monday with the league announcing the compensatory selections.
The 49ers have typically played the system well when it comes to getting picks back in exchange for players who have left in free agency and, in previous years, for minority coaches and executives who have gone elsewhere.
And they have been given a boost by the compensatory picks system again this year, with their haul better than anticipated.
San Francisco was expecting to net two fourth-rounders and a fifth-rounder this year. Instead, they have received three fourth-rounders, with those picks coming as a result of losing Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga last year.
It means that San Francisco does not have a pick in the final three rounds of the draft, having already dealt their picks in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds away.
They will still have seven selections in the draft, but all of them will be in the top 150 picks.
With the depth of draft classes becoming increasingly impacted by players electing to stay in college longer due to the money they can earn via NIL, having a top-heavy draft focused on the opening four rounds can be considered a big positive.
The 49ers have added significantly to their roster via the fourth round of the draft in the last two years.
San Francisco picked Malik Mustapha, Isaac Guerendo and Jacob Cowing in the fourth in 2024, before picking CJ West and Jordan Watkins in that round last year.
The success of those selections can be considered mixed at best, but Mustapha and West have each had a positive influence for the 49ers, playing extensive snaps and making a strong case for serving as foundational pieces of the defense for years to come.
There is also the distinct possibility that the 49ers don’t use all of their fourth rounders. They can be used as ammo to trade up or as bargaining chips to collect future capital in moves down the board on day three. If nothing else, this unexpected boost improves the flexibility the 49ers will have in the draft.
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