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No First-Round Pick, Eight Swings: The 49ers’ Draft Class
San Francisco didn’t make a selection until No. 33 — the first pick of the second round — and then made seven more.
That’s a specific kind of draft: no headline, no franchise-altering swing, and eight chances to find contributors in the range where good teams do most of their real work.
De’Zhaun Stribling, WR — No. 33, Mississippi
The player. Stribling opened round two and is the closest thing this class has to a first-rounder. Twelve wide receivers went in the second and third rounds combined, making it the deepest position group in the draft — and San Francisco got first crack at it.
He’s already getting meaningful preseason work, which is the clearest early signal available about where a rookie sits on a depth chart.
Playing time projection. Rotational receiver from Week 1, with volume available depending on how the room settles.
Romello Height, EDGE — No. 70, Texas Tech
The third-round pass rusher, and the first of two Texas Tech defenders in the class’s broader neighborhood — the Red Raiders also produced No. 2 overall pick David Bailey to the Jets.
Playing time projection. Situational pass-rush snaps, expanding through the season.
Kaelon Black, RB — No. 90, Indiana
A third-round back from the program that produced No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and Jets first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. Indiana sent an unusual amount of talent into this league.
Running back is where late-round picks most reliably become contributors — the transition is shorter there than anywhere else on the field.
Playing time projection. Rotational carries and third-down work, with more available if injuries open a door.
The Washington connection
San Francisco took two players from the University of Washington: Carver Willis, OT (No. 127) and Ephesians Prysock, CB (No. 139).
Playing time projection. Willis is line depth with swing-tackle potential. Prysock competes for nickel snaps and special teams.
Three more on Day 3
Gracen Halton, DT (No. 107, Oklahoma), Jaden Dugger, LB (No. 154, Louisiana) and Enrique Cruz, OT (No. 179, Kansas) round out eight picks.
Three offensive linemen in one class, in a draft where nine went in the first round alone, is a front office reading the same board everyone else was.
Three from around the NFC West
Ty Simpson, QB — Los Angeles Rams (No. 13). An NFC West matter with a long horizon. The Rams took Simpson with an explicit eye on life after Matthew Stafford — a rookie quarterback who doesn’t have to play, on a division rival that isn’t desperate at the position. San Francisco will be dealing with him for a decade.
Jeremiyah Love, RB — Arizona Cardinals (No. 3). The highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley, and another division opponent. Love’s game is built on making one cut and exploding into the second level — smaller gaps in the NFL, but a skill set that travels.
Jadarian Price, RB — Seattle Seahawks (No. 32). Love’s Notre Dame teammate, taken to close the first round one pick ahead of San Francisco’s slot. Two backs from the same college backfield landed in the NFC West on the same night, which makes them permanently comparable — and makes the 49ers’ run defense the thing to watch.
Eight swings, no headline
No premium pick, eight swings, and a distribution across receiver, edge, running back, corner and three offensive linemen. That’s a roster adding depth rather than answering a question.
The 49ers’ season won’t turn on this draft. Whether it holds up in December might.
The one pick with a year-one path
Stribling’s snap count in September. A second-round receiver getting real preseason work usually means real regular-season work, and he’s the only pick in this class with a path to genuine production in year one.
Everything else gets judged in 2028.
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