The San Francisco 49ers have received quite a bit of criticism for their 2026 NFL Draft, notably for taking several players higher than the consensus boards have them.
After the draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were quite confident in their process, pointing out their own consensus board within the organization, as they justified their draft process.
Some of the most notable picks were wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, whom the 49ers took at No. 33 despite evaluators primarily projecting him as a late second-round pick, and running back Kaelon Black, whom the 49ers took at No. 90 despite most seeing him as a mid-to-late Day 3 pick.
Well, following the draft, we did get insight from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that Stribling was perceived higher by the NFL than the media, with rumblings that he could be a riser on draft night. That was reportedly a part of San Francisco’s process to take him at No. 33, rather than risk another move back to select the Ole Miss standout.
As for Black, Shanahan revealed on The Rich Eisen Show that he was the team’s No. 2 running back in the draft class, presumably after Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love.
Overall, though, in terms of draft value, the 49ers were ranked 32nd by Daniel Jeremiah in his value rankings for all 32 teams in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jeremiah compared every team’s selections to his Top 150 board, giving teams additional points for ‘value’ picks, or players taken lower than expected.
The Indianapolis Colts were a resounding first on the list, followed by the Washington Commanders and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The 49ers were all the way at No. 32, having only a return of 50.6 percent above expected value. The 49ers’ draft picks had an expected value of 340 points, and they had only 172 points on Jeremiah’s rankings.
A fellow NFC West team, the Los Angeles Rams, was also in the bottom five at No. 29, totaling only 185 points out of an expected 286.
Now, in a draft with a ton of varying opinions, the 49ers could come out with a much better class than most are projecting, as they’ll have the next four years to develop players into key contributors. Stribling has the path to early playing time in Year 1 or Year 2, and his skill set seems like a quality fit for the 49ers.
Third-round pick Romello Height adds a speedy pass rusher to the mix for San Francisco in situational packages, which was something the 49ers lost when Bryce Huff retired this offseason.
Black has the path to rise up to No. 2 on the depth chart, as he’ll compete with Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James in the 49ers’ backfield.
Fourth-rounder Carver Willis played tackle in college, but is expected to slide inside to either guard or center in the NFL. If he sticks at guard, he could join the left guard competition and become a contender to start there in 2026.
There’s a lot of opportunity for roles, both this season and in the future, but also a ton of question marks with the 49ers’ draft class. We’ll see if evaluators end up being right or if the 49ers shock others with a quality class.
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