The good, bad and questionable from 49ers' 2026 NFL Draft class
On "49ers Talk," Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan break down all eight selections and what they bring to their respective position groups.
The good, bad and questionable from 49ers' 2026 NFL Draft class originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
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I'm Matt, she's Jennifer, and the 2026 NFL draft has come to an end.
Whew.
It was, a slow start, but it's not a, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, and the 49ers added eight players to their roster, and they appear very happy with all the guys that they picked.
Yeah, I think, you know, public perception probably won't favor the 49ers as far as, you know, the grades, the knee-jerk grades that everybody gives, the, you know, each team's draft.
Mm-hmm.
I would imagine that those grades will be low because I think a lot of people, they work on the premise of, "If I've heard of him, he must be a good pick."
Right.
But as we saw, you know, the, the work that's done, you know, after the draft was over, the, the 49ers three kind of behind the scenes top personnel people came in- Mm-hmm and spoke to the media.
That was after John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan kind of recapped the eight picks.
But, Paraag Kamat, he's the vice president of player personnel, R.J. Gillen, the assistant general manager, and Josh Williams, director of scouting and football ops came in, and they kind of gave us the reasoning for all the picks.
And basically, the bottom line is, you know, they're not going through all the mock drafts or all the, you know, pundits, for the media organizations.
They have a whole bunch of people, including coaches, involved in the process to come up with their own board.
They're not relying on anybody else's board.
Right.
The 49ers personnel does not care what other teams and other fans and people outside the building think of who they drafted.
They know that they got the guys that they wanted where they wanted to get them, and that's all that matters really, right?
Inside the building, what really matters is how these guys play when it gets to week one, how they perform when it gets to year two.
Do they develop into players that are worthwhile?
You just can't make a judgment now and say, "Oh, this is a bust," or, "This person's not fit for the organization."
The people that you just mentioned know the best places and people f- where they're supposed to match up, so they know the team better than anyone else outside the building, and it appears that they are very happy with the guys that they got to fit in where they're supposed to belong.
A- and I think also, I mean, every team, all 32 teams, have their own draft re- board because each team places a priority on different aspects of a player's- Mm-hmm talents, you know, whether it's the defensive scheme favors this kind of defensive lineman or this kind of linebacker or defensive back, you know, this other scheme on offense, you know, they favor a certain style of offensive lineman.
And for the 49ers, you know, they, they do have some unique things that they look for because of their, their zone, outside zone running scheme.
But- Right we're, we're gonna talk a lot about this draft, i- including the 49ers first pick in this draft, what came, which came, 33rd overall, Dazahn Stribling, a wide receiver, that really does fit what the 49ers do.
But let's talk about some other things that happened, this week as the 49ers were going through, you know, the seven-round draft.
I guess they only, it was only a five-round draft for them, right?
Right.
Mm-hmm.
'Cause they didn't have any picks in the sixth or the seventh.
But, you know, the f- one of the first things they did, on Friday was Dee Winters.
You know, they felt like they were kind of working from a position of power at the linebacker spot.
Dee Winters last year was a 17-game starter after Dre Greenlaw signed with the Denver Broncos in the 2025 season.
And there weren't that many 17-game starters on the roster- That is- at all that is out, that is a great, great point.
He led the team in tackles.
Mm-hmm.
100 end one tackles, eight tackles for losses.
They trade him to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick.
So with Dre Greenlaw coming back, with Fred Warner, no restrictions- Mm-hmm on that broken and fractured ankle, with Tatum Bethune, with Luke Gifford, with Nick Martin, who was a third-round pick last year- Mm-hmm with Garrett Walaux, the 49ers felt like they, you know, rather than just have Dee Winters watching from the sideline or being a backup or- Mm-hmm special teams player, they are able to get a fifth-round pick from the Cowboys, it, discussions that started when the 49ers and the Cowboys were talking about Osadebe Ezua back in March.
Right.
So it's been a process.
The 49ers wanted to hold onto Dee Winters.
They weren't ready to trade him at the time.
And then it came down to the draft, and John Lynch has said multiple times before the draft, "Yes, we are looking for more picks.
We want to get more picks."
They started out with only six, and then they ended up with eight.
Mm-hmm.
So I think goal accomplished according to John Lynch.
And, and one of those players they took- on day three of the draft was a linebacker too, a versatile linebacker.
Mm-hmm.
We'll talk a little bit more about him as well.
One of the other things of note as it pertains to where the 49ers are in this off-season, Brandon Aiyuk and, Mack Jones, both are still with the 49ers.
In the case of Mack Jones, he will be on the team.
He is- Right a member of the team in good standing.
Brandon Aiyuk may still be under contract to the 49ers, but certainly not a member of the team in good standing, and he'll be departing soon, but John Lynch said- Not right now.
John Lynch really had kind of the sales pitch when he was asked, you know, "What are the updates for Brandon Aiyuk?"
And he said, "Nope."
He held up his phone.
"Nope."
Said, "Call us.
We're ready.
We're available to talk."
I thought it was, very obvious that they would like to move Brandon Aiyuk, but they're not gonna do it for nothing.
They really wanna get a draft pick.
Obviously, now that the 2026 draft is over, they could look forward and get another pick in 2027, and I think that would- be, right, just fine with them.
Yeah, I think just anything they could get- Mm-hmm for, and let's face it, I, I don't know what team is gonna trade for Brandon Aiyuk.
I know, you know, there have been talk for months that the Washington Commanders, could be, looking for him.
They, the Commanders did draft a, a, wide receiver in the third round.
Mm-hmm.
But, you know, Brandon Aiyuk has played his final game for the 49ers.
The big question I think people are asking around the league is, has Brandon Aiyuk played his final game, period?
Mm-hmm.
You know, w- does he wanna play?
will he get that opportunity?
I mean, he should.
He w- he would get an opportunity.
The question is, can he take advantage of it and get back into the NFL after last year, you know, kinda going AWOL- Mm-hmm on the 49ers.
The 49ers, you know, they voided that contract because he broke terms of that deal, and then all that guaranteed money that he had, like 27 million in future guarantees- Mm-hmm goes flying out the window or down the toilet or however you wanna term it.
and the reason he's connected to the Commanders, obviously, is, is Adam Peters was here with the 49ers when Brandon Aiyuk was drafted.
They do have a relationship.
Brandon A- Aiyuk also has a relationship with the quarterback of the Washington Commanders, and so those things kind of make it potentially possible that they would be willing to take a chance on Brandon Aiyuk, but as of right now, he's still a member of the 49ers.
Yeah, and I mean, it, it really is interesting when you look at the 49ers wide receivers.
You know, back in the Super Bowl, it, it seems like a long time ago, but it really wasn't.
You know, back the 2023 season, the 49ers wide receivers were Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings, and now none of those guys are around.
All of them are free agents.
He, yeah, well, except for Brandon.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And he's, I mean, he's just- Well, he- He doesn't have a team, and yet none of them- Right has a team right now.
Right.
Deebo Samuel was with the Commanders last year.
Jauan Jennings kinda feels like he misplayed his hand as far as free agency goes.
You know, what I've been told was a year ago, the 49ers were willing to sign him to a multi-year contract that averaged 17 million a year.
He wanted far north of that.
He hits the open market as a free agent in March.
The 49ers take that 17 million that they would've been paying Jauan Jennings, and they got Mike Evans and Christian Kirk for a total of 17 million.
Right.
So, so now here, the 49ers are Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, and they have other players, DeMarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing.
But the first pick that they had in this draft, which they traded back twice in the first round, they end up with number 33, and they get Daijahn Stribling, and he just looks like a 49ers player, doesn't he?
Right.
We met him today for the first time, and he looked at his jersey with his name on it, and just, you could tell he was very excited to be in the Bay Area for the 49ers.
Talked about how growing up in Hawaii, playing all those big Samoan kids- helped him level up his toughness, you know, his ability to block on the field, and he really is the prototype of what the 49ers look for in a wide receiver, a guy who's physical, gets, you know, his nose into, in the business down, on the field.
And then really good with his hands, very athletic and fast.
Yards after the catch.
Yes.
You know, it used to be the 49ers had the YAC Bros, right?
Mm-hmm.
The yards after the catch with all those guys, Deebo and, and Brandon Aiyuk were kind of the, the, forefathers- Leaders of the- and- that movement, yes.
Yeah, and, and that disappeared last year.
It did.
And it just, explosive plays across the board disappeared- Mm-hmm for the 49ers, both in the run game and the passing game.
And Stribling is a guy that, you know, he doesn't go down on first contact.
Right.
And he, he makes defensive backs work for it.
And the last two years, you know, this is kind of a well-traveled guy.
A lot of the guys the 49ers took in this draft were well-traveled, but he started off at Washington State.
He went to Oklahoma State, and his last year at Oklahoma State and his one and only year at Ole Miss pretty much had identical numbers, you know- Mm-hmm two different systems.
52 catches one year, 55 catches the next.
882 yards receiving one year, 811 the next, and then six touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.
So, I, I really think that Stribling has a chance to get on the field early and often in his rookie season.
And we know how tough Kyle Shanahan can be on wide receivers when they first join the 49ers.
The thing, that Stribling has underneath his belt is that Lane Kiffin's offense at Ole Miss is almost exactly the same as what the 49ers run, so Stribling is going to be able to assimilate very quickly.
He understands the concepts.
He understands where he needs to add in at, in the run game, and that's what Kyle Shanahan will need, in the offense.
And, and because of the lack of wide receiver play last year, that's why you didn't get the explosive plays, and I would expect it to go up as long as everybody in that wide receivers room stays healthy.
And, you know, the, the 49ers made a point, you know, after the draft to say that, you know, they expect some of these guys to be starters.
Mm-hmm.
But they also expect even more of those guys to be starters a year from now after the 2027 free agent process kinda winds through.
And I think Stribling i- is a guy that could fit either of those.
I mean, uh- I could see him getting on the field a lot.
you know, with Mike Evans on the team, with, with Ricky Pearsall, you know, could Strib- Stribling be the number three guy?
Could he possibly be the number two guy?
But then a year from now, that's when you think that he'll really have an opportunity with a year under his belt, learning the intricacies of the system, that he can really take off.
Right, and because, as we've discussed multiple times, Mike Evans' contract is ultimately a one-year deal.
They can get out of it if they need to.
Christian Kirk is on the team for one year, so they have the option.
If Stribling develops into the player that they think he can be-Then that opens them up to have him be the number one going forward.
Yeah, so I, I didn't necessarily see wide receiver as a urgent, urgent need, but a need nonetheless.
Mm-hmm.
Stribling, I think his traits and what the 49ers saw, they call him a, a gold helmet player because he checks all the boxes, everything.
You know, football, off the field, leadership, toughness, work ethic- Mm-hmm everything that you want in a football player, he- the 49ers believe he meets that.
Now, the next pick the 49ers had, and that came in the third round at number 70 overall, was without question the 49ers biggest need, and they got Ramello Hight from Texas Tech.
Yeah.
He's a guy that, you know, he's, he's a little bit leaner, he's a tall guy, but I think they feel like he's going to be able to get around the edge.
John Lynch said he's got Gumby-style qualities, so he can bend.
Now we, you know, Drake Jackson is a guy that they also said had those qualities, and I remember Nick Bosa talking about how he wishes he could do some of the things that Drake Jackson was able to do.
So I'm thinking that it's probably going to be similar things.
Drake Jackson, unfortunately, health-wise, couldn't stay on the field for the 49ers.
But if Ramello Hight can do those same things, being opposite of Nick Bosa, I think that sets up the defensive line for a much more success than they had in 2025.
Yeah, if there's, you know, one concern about Ramello Hight, you know, two years in Auburn, two years at USC, one year at Georgia Tech, one year at Texas Tech.
In his first 36 games of college football, only six-and-a-half sacks.
But last year at Texas Tech, with a really good cast of- Mm-hmm defensive linemen around him, nine-and-a-half sacks, and was a first team All-Big 12 performer.
he- he's, he's a dynamic athlete.
You mentioned, you know, his ability to bend and, and contort his body to, to get around- Mm-hmm offensive tackles.
But, you know, a 4.6 40-yard dash- Mm-hmm 39-inch vert, so, that's definitely a need for the 49ers.
And because of 20 sacks in 17 games- Nick Bosa returning from injury- Right you know, right now probably their second best pass rusher other than Bosa is Sam Okwuonu.
Right.
and he's n- not a h- huge sack artist.
So the- they're gonna need Ramello Hight.
I'm, I'm making the prediction now.
If it's not, if R- on whatever day it is- Mm-hmm the f- the first week of the season when the 49ers are at, in Mil- Melbourne Cricket Field or whatever the heck it is- Uh-huh against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia for the week one, if Ramello Hight isn't out there for the first third down where they're trying to put pressure on Matthew Stafford, then I think that's a disappointment.
Yeah.
I think it definitely is.
They have now the expectations that there is going to be pass rush, someone that's going to play opposite of Nick Bosa, so they need to get it going, especially against the Rams, who have shown that they have a really strong young defense.
The 49ers have been trying to get that as- going as well.
All those guys coming back from injury, and it goes along with Mychal Williams and Alfred Collins, getting CJ West back.
They need to get those guys back on the field and make sure that they are active and productive.
Okay, so the Forty- 49ers first two picks in the draft were what you would expect, filling some needs.
and then things kinda, took a little bit of a turn, and the 49ers certainly left themselves open for some second-guessing.
And Jennifer and I will talk about what the 49ers did later in the draft after these words from our sponsors.
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All right, Jennifer, just, you know, as, before we get to the other spots here that the 49ers addressed in the 2026 NFL Draft, were there any kinda overreaching themes, things you noticed from each of the eight draft picks that the 49ers made?
Absolutely.
When we spoke to them via Zoom after each pick, they all seemed very mature.
They were all very well-spoken.
They said the right things.
When you asked them questions about, you know, what does it mean to be a team captain or a leader, or why, you know, why do you think that the 49ers were looking towards you as a pick, they all had great answers.
Mm-hmm.
They knew how to respond.
They obviously were great interviewers, or interviewees with the 49ers because those types of things, I guess those intangible things, I mean, they really came through on those Zoom meetings.
Yeah.
You know, I, you know, I, I don't wanna speak for Well, I will speak a little bit for, for John Lynch.
But, you know, as I get older, I, I just don't wanna put up with as, I don't wanna put up with stuff.
Yeah.
You know?
And don't you kinda get this?
'Cause I did ask John Lynch that question.
Mm-hmm.
Like, you know, as you've done this, this is the 10th draft- Right that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have been working together here with the 49ers.
And my question to him was, as time goes on, do you value personality and character maybe more with each successive season?
Mm-hmm.
And he kind of said yes, you know, something that they've, they've always tried to value.
You know, it didn't- Mm-hmm work out too well, I think, early, with some of the people that they picked.
but I think it really kind of ch- really shined through, Jen- Right don't you think?
Right.
Like, I mean, talking to all those guys.
Especially in the wide receivers room.
I mean, I think, you know, John Lynch said it earlier in the off-season program, we have men, adults in the room now.
And you look at it, it's Mike Evans, it's Christian Kirk, and Dejon Stribling, who obviously, you know, is very mature.
It's also a little bit older draft class.
Mm-hmm.
The NIL, going through the college, these guys have played in college four, five, six years, some of them, so they do have some experience in talking to people and doing interviews and knowing what the right things are to do.
And, you know, I think also life experience helps them be more mature and ready for the NFL.
And I also think, I mean, and it's not just, you know, good guys and great personality and a nice smile.
It, it's also kind of the, the toughness and the work ethic- Mm-hmm that we talked about that goes into the 49ers awarding these, you know, gold star recognition.
a- and I think that that's-A, a very big thing for, for the 49ers.
A lot of these guys they took were, you know, known to be high character guys, work ethic, team captains- Mm-hmm in a, in a lot of ways.
And so, it did seem like the 49ers certainly value that part of it, knowing that, you know, there's a lot of moving parts, there's a lot of adversity, even the best teams face during the course- Mm-hmm of a, of a season.
Right.
And, man, when you're having to deal with, you know, 53 teammates plus the guys who are still in the building on IR, the 16 guys on the practice squad, y- you need guys to kinda get along.
Right.
You also, I think, have to have some guys who are kinda butt-kickers too.
Mm-hmm.
You know, who, who aren't afraid to, to ruffle feathers, with the best interests of the team- Right at heart.
And so that's kinda the, the dynamics that's interesting is how, you know, how you put together a team that not only performs its best on the field with complimentary skills- Mm-hmm but also how it performs best away from the field, in the locker room- Mm-hmm with complimentary personalities.
Right, and the 49ers are known for having such a close locker room.
And you've got leaders in it like Fred Warner and George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy.
Those guys really kinda make sure that everybody is on their Ps and Qs when they in the, they are in the locker room, when they're on the field together.
Another theme that I felt was that all of these players, most of them, I would say the majority of them, have played in multiple positions.
So there's options.
Like Carver Willis has only played tackle, but everybody was asking him to play, you know, can he play on the interior when he was going through the interview process.
You've got Jayden Dugger, who is a linebacker, who has played safety, who has played, you know, kind of that edge rusher type position.
They see him as a linebacker.
You know, a lot of different guys who have potentially, you know, multiple spots that they could fill in if they needed to.
I know that they have a focus where they want them to be, but there's still some options.
Mm-hmm.
Well, let's talk about, I mean, I would say it's a controversial pick because it's a running back.
Mm-hmm.
The 49ers haven't had the most success drafting third and fourth round running backs.
Right.
They also have Christian McCaffrey there, who was healthy through all of last season and rarely gave even the backup at that point, Brian Robinson, a chance to get out there on the field, let alone the third and fourth running backs who never stepped on the field last year, and those were two recent draft picks- Right in Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James.
So the 49ers take, and when I say a controversial pick, once you talk to the guy, i- you know, it becomes less controversial because you can see some of those elements that we talked about- Mm-hmm of what attracted them to him, other than the fact that he's a really good football player too.
Mm-hmm.
But, you know, when you look at the draft pundits and, you know, for the, for all the people in the media who do the draft lists, you know, Kalen Black wasn't seen as, you know, a first or second or maybe even a third round pick on what was widely considered a weak running back class, but the 49ers certainly liked him.
And in the third round, the 90th pick, they made him the third running back off the board in this draft behind the two guys from Notre Dame.
I honestly think that some of it, and, obviously they love him, they love his traits, they love his style, they love his attitude, his physicality, all of those things that make a guy draftable.
But when I asked Kyle Shanahan about Kalen Black, there was that comment that he said, you know, and he knocked on the table, he said, "You know, 2024, we went through every single running back we had.
We needed more, and so we needed to draft another running back."
2025, knocked on the table, he said, "You know, uniquely, Christian McCaffrey was healthy the entire season."
And that doesn't always happen.
In fact, it, multiple years for Kyle Shanahan as head coach, they've gone through multiple running backs.
So I think there's always that fear in the back of his head that they're not going to have a guy that they really want to carry the ball available because of injury.
You know, it's interesting, I was just thinking about this, where y- you talk about the three running backs that were taken, all NFC West.
You know, it was, you know, the Arizona Cardinals, took Jeremy Love- Jeremy Love, mm-hmm at number three.
Mm-hmm.
The Seattle Seahawks took Ja'Darian Price at number 32, the last pick in the- Mm-hmm in the first round.
Right.
And then the 49ers in the third round take Kalen Black.
No running backs were taken in the, in the second round at all.
And, you know, I mentioned Kalen Black being a controversial pick.
Well, the team that we didn't mention there in the NFC West, they took the most controversial pick in this draft.
The LA Rams, at 13, with the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford, on their roster, they took Ty Simpson- Simpson, mm-hmm the quarterback from Alabama, in a move that, you know, they hope they won't see him for a couple of years.
So it, it was, that was definitely an interesting move.
Right.
In reading the body language of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan on Thursday night after the Rams made that pick, you could sense that they were, were kinda pleased that the Rams did something that's not gonna have immediate benefit to that team.
Right, because you would think, like the Seahawks, the Rams are in a win now phase, right?
They played really well.
They've got a really nice young defense, like I mentioned earlier.
They've got an MVP quarterback.
With your first round pick, at number 13, maybe if they had two picks and they had one in a, you know, at the end of the first round, I could see them taking a quarterback that they really like, but at 13, um-It's just astounded me that they would go thinking of two or three years down the line when they have a team now that is ready to win and go into the playoffs.
I can't believe that Matthew Stafford was the least bit pleased- Yeah with that, 'cause I mean, his window, you know, he's just not getting any younger.
Right.
And he played like a young man last season- Mm-hmm had a tremendous year.
but I would have thought that at his, you know, that stage in his career, he'd be like, "Get me another receiver."
Mm-hmm.
or, "Get another pass rusher or somebody that helps on the other side of the ball."
And, and in talking about the body language, did you see Sean McVay coming to the press conference after that pick was made?
Yes.
He did not seem at all happy either.
Now, the next day when he was asked about it, 'cause his reactions kinda went viral- Mm-hmm he said, "Oh, I had other stuff going on aside from football in my personal life," and that reflected on how, the lack of enthusiasm that he showed for that pick.
Yeah.
I, I just, it doesn't seem like it makes sense with You know, like, okay, as controversial as Kalen Black's selection is in the third round, at least you can see where he would fit in the offense.
You understand that the 49ers might have a little, PTSD from losing all of their running backs in 2024.
It makes sense 'cause this guy's going to be on the field this year potentially.
As far as Ty Simpson goes, when will he be on the field?
2027, 2028?
Mm-hmm.
It's, you know, when, if you're in a win now position, I just don't understand the logic there.
I, I do, going back to, to Black, I, I do understand the skepticism- Mm-hmm of that pick because the 49ers have struggled.
You know, they took- Right Joe Williams in the fourth round back in the first draft of Lynch and Shanahan, and then more recently, you know, they, they took- Trey Sermon Trey Sermon in the third round.
He did absolutely nothing.
Then they took Ty Davis Price- in the third round.
He did less than absolutely nothing.
And the 49ers p- picked Isaac Guerendo- and he kinda fell off the face of the earth last year.
He still remains on the team.
Mm-hmm.
They took Jordan James last year in the draft, and he ended up, leapfrogging over Guerendo, but still didn't see any action during the regular season.
Kalen Black is a player, who started out at James Madison, and the thing there is he did show some receiving skills over a two-year period at JMU, 44 catches for 431 yards and six touchdowns.
The last two years at Indiana, where he won a national championship this last season, only eight catches total, so I think people see that- Mm-hmm and it's realistic, it's logical to look at the receiving numbers- Right and go, "Oh, he's not a receiving threat."
49ers believe he is, and last year he had his 1,000-yard season with 10 touchdowns.
So it seems to me that the 49ers would not have taken him in the third round at number 90 overall if they didn't think that he could potentially be that guy, even as a rookie, who steps onto the field and starts to give Christian McCaffrey some breaks.
Right, and the reasoning behind his lack of receptions the last two years was he was at Indiana, you know, where there were top receivers that went very high in the draft, so he wasn't needed as a receiver.
So the fact that he is able to be a receiving running back, which I know they really wanted from Jordan Mason when he was, in the building, it didn't work out, and, you know, they got, ended up getting a pick for him.
but they've needed that receiving running back to take the place of Christian McCaffrey when he needs a break, and I think this time they found a guy that they won't be as worried about taking Christian McCaffrey off the field.
Ch- Kyle Shanahan talked about that at the owners' meetings.
He said, "You know, there was timing issues.
We took Christian McCaffrey off the field, and someone else would go in, and then Kyle Shanahan would call a play that was specifically designed for Christian McCaffrey."
I think when you look at, you know, Kalen Black going in there, it won't be as much of a problem for him to go in and run the same plays that Christian McCaffrey would.
And part of the reason, I'd say the big reason why this was such a controversial pick was because the 49ers addressed running back before they addressed offensive line.
And, you know, th- that's the one position where the 49ers have a giant opening.
They don't know who their left guard is going to be.
nobody knows who their left guard is going to be, and so they ended day two of the draft without anybody added to the mix at offensive line.
And, the 49ers fan base has been yearning, pleading the 49ers to draft an offensive lineman, and they finally did it in the fourth round with the pick number 127. you mentioned him earlier, Jennifer.
Mm-hmm.
His name is Carver Willis.
He started off at K State.
He goes to Washington.
He played right tackle at K State.
He played left tackle at Washington, team captain.
But in that process of talking to all the NFL teams, they all wanted to see him at guard and center, and the 49ers believe that he is a guard.
Absolutely, and he doesn't have any problem with playing guard.
I think some offensive linemen are like, "I'm a tackle," and he's like, "I don't care where I line up along the five, as long as I'm there.
I love playing offensive line."
And another player who was in a system that is very similar to the 49ers, he was in an outside zone scheme at Washington.
So again, he's a guy that can fit in very easily because he has experience in the same program s- or same scheme as the 49ers run here in Santa Clara.
Yeah, and so, you know, on, was it Friday night when I was quizzing John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan about, "What are you doing at guard?"
You know, they, they turned to the players who they had on the team.
Mm-hmm.
You know, Connor Colby, Robert Jones, Brett Toth, you know, Nick Zakel, um-But I think, and I don't know, you know, they're not gonna come out for the first mini camp, and Carver Willis isn't gonna line up with the starters.
Right.
But I think it's only a matter of time before he's their starter.
Again, if, if this draft lines up the way- Mm-hmm they expect it to.
You know, 49ers using their draft board, they know what they're looking for.
I'm sure Chris Foerster, the offensive line coach, very much involved in, in identifying players.
the 49ers did not take a offensive lineman with, at 27, they traded back to 30.
They didn't take an offensive lineman there.
They traded back to 33.
They didn't take an offensive lineman there.
They didn't take an offensive lineman in the second round, and then, or the third round, until, they take Carver Willis in the fourth round.
So I, I think the door is wide open for him to be- Mm-hmm a starter.
Absolutely.
Carver Willis worked with Chris Foerster.
Chris Foerster does this, offensive line clinic that's held at the University of Washington, and that's where they met.
And Carver said, you know, we spoke at the clinic, and he said, and, and around the combine as well, and because he has changed what he had to do from going from K State to Washington, Chris Foerster watched that and saw how he changed, and noted to Carver Willis that, you know, he, he was really enjoying the fact that he really bought into what he had to do, which makes him a guy who is obviously very coachable, which ups his draft stock, and that's why the 49ers chose him.
Yeah, and, before they took Carver Willis, in the fourth round at 107, they took a, a, I think a rotational, day one rotational defensive tackle, Grayson Halden, and he played at, Where did he play?
Oklahoma for all four years.
That's right, yeah.
Oklahoma.
And I was like, I have the- You're, like, ready for the- Well- the transfer portal conversation well, I have, I have it in my notes.
You know, he was at Oklahoma, and I was like, "Okay, but where else did he play?"
But yeah, he, he showed- Four years four years at Oklahoma.
Yeah, which, which, and he said it shows his heart.
Mm-hmm.
He said he went through a lot of adversity during his four years at Oklahoma.
He started out at defensive end, and then they moved him to defensive tackle.
He said he had to learn the whole new skill set to be able to play on the inside, and from what we've heard from interior offensive linemen and interior defensive linemen, it happens faster in there.
Mm-hmm.
you don't have as much time as the play after the ball is snapped.
They have to react immediately, and so he faced that adversity and really stuck it out and carved his, carved a nice little college, career there.
Yeah, Grayson Halden, I, I think he can be a, a rotational defensive- Mm-hmm tackle from day one.
Osiega Ezua- Mm-hmm would be a starter.
Alfred Collins a starter.
CJ West and Halden, two guys that can- Mm-hmm kinda mix in there.
And they both seem very similar personality-wise, right?
CJ West is very kind of, gregarious, and so is, is Halden.
They, I think they both are, you know, want to be leaders and, and are excited to be a part of this 49ers team.
Efesen's Efesaens.
Efesaens.
Mm-hmm.
Efesaens Pryce-Scott.
Yeah.
He was the 49ers pick in the fourth round.
a very, lengthy cornerback from Washington, and I think all these guys are, are kind of in the same boat as far as being, all being developmental players- Mm-hmm guys who are gonna really have to do a lot, I think, to, to get on the field, year one.
Pryce-Scott, a, a guy with a lot of traits, a lot of starts in his career.
Mm-hmm.
Jayden Dugger is really interesting, because he started off as Georgetown basketball school.
Then he goes to Louisiana, and he's just a, a guy that is a lot like his new linebackers coach, first year- Mm-hmm as a positional coach, K.J.
Wright.
the, the size, you know, 6'5", he can play, he played safety at Georgetown.
He played strong side linebacker, moved to inside linebacker, 125 tackles at Louisiana.
So he is a project, and then also I think a really, a project that, I'll let you talk about, Enrique Cruz.
Yeah, I mean, he is a guy who s- was so enthusiastic when we spoke to him.
he's Puerto Rican.
He was, he was trying to apologize for his family, who was very loud while we were- trying to talk to him in his, his interview.
but I think he's a guy that is, you know, going to potentially compete for that swing tackle position.
They have Vedarian Lowe, but this is a guy who can be developmental and, you know, learn from guys like Trent Williams, learn from Vedarian Lowe, and he can be a guy that potentially could play as Trent Williams goes off into the sunset, potentially maybe two or three years down the line.
We don't know how long he's going to play, but- Or five or six or seven.
Yeah.
I mean, he does wanna play when he's 40.
I remember he s- he said that.
Well, yeah, he's not too far away from 40, so- Exactly.
Right he's gonna have to stick around that long.
But, you know, Enrique Cruz is a guy that I think, you know, adds depth to the room and is enthusiastic, and again, you know, one of the guys who has experience, and, at Kansas, they play a very similar outside zone scheme as well.
So these are guys that they really targeted that don't have to make a lot of changes, right?
Mm-hmm.
These guys are players that are going to be able to assimilate quickly, learn quickly, and be coached, and hopefully have playing time in the future.
Yeah, Tara Kamad, R.J. Gillen- Mm-hmm and, and Josh Williams talked about those traits that he has.
Right.
That those are the traits that they're looking for.
They took him, he was the last pick that the 49ers took in this draft, fifth round, 179, and the, the one, number one trait with him, you know, he's got the size, but also he ran a 4.94 40.
He is incredibly athletic.
Yeah, for a guy that big to run sub-five seconds is absolutely incredible and definitely worth a flyer.
Mm-hmm.
No doubt about it.
Absolutely.
Right.
Okay, so the 49ers' 2026 NFL Draft is in the books.
I'm sure there will be a lot of discussion about, you know, grading this draft, how the 49ers did.
The, the, the true answer is we won't know- They do- for a while we do know one gradeThey have the most variety in regards to names in their draft class, I think, than any other draft class in the league.
The names that they have drafted are incredibly unique.
I like, E- Ephesians E- Ephesians, uh- All right.
Oh, let's go to, like- Price, uh- Dejon, Ramello- Yeah Kaylon, Grayson, Carver, Ephesians.
Jayden is more, uh- Yeah seen, and Enrique is more seen.
But I mean, those names are We're gonna have to make sure we have our, our auto-correct on correctly or- Yeah, we're just- watch our typos when we start reporting on this team because- We're just boring old Matt and Jennifer over here.
Yep.
But, the week was nothing but bor- nothing, not- Far away from boring far away, that's what I meant to say.
you got me all confused.
Yeah, it was, it was not boring at all.
even on day one, on Thursday, when the 49ers m- didn't make a pick, it was still, it was entertaining because of 49ers maneuvering, going back, and some of the other stuff that was happening around the NFL.
But, all in all, a fun weekend.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
And I, you know, it's always fun to meet these players via video.
Dejon came in for his Meet the Media day.
And it's always fun to see players right after they've been drafted- because it's their dreams coming true.
It's, you know, what they've worked so hard for, for so many years.
And the joy and the excitement on their faces, and just l- talking to them is always a positive.
Yeah, absolutely.
All right.
Well, it's a positive because it's another NFL draft in the books.
The 49ers add eight players, and, yeah, a chance for a good number of them to, to make an impact for the team this season.
So, for Jennifer, I'm Matt.
Thank you so much for watching 49ers Talk, and we'll be back, as we continue throughout this off-season as the 49ers, now they have pretty much their roster in place.
I mean, maybe they can make a move here and there, but I think what you see is what you get.
