\"We're the San Francisco 49ers, we can do whatever we want.\"
The 49ers weren’t sure if Kaelon Black would last until the 4th round of the NFL Draft“The fourth round was allegedly a sweet spot for running backs. Arkansas’s Mike Washington was popular among the draft community for his ability to rip off the big play. He was one of the worst pass-protecting backs I can […]
Why did 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sound upset no one tried trading for Mac Jones? (Paywall) “Shanahan’s reaction to the lack of trade interest in the backup QB strongly suggested the 49ers were willing — perhaps eager — to discuss a draft-day deal. Shanahan said he expected to receive Jones-related trade calls on the first day of […]
The San Francisco 49ers drafted a running back earlier than the masses expected them to. Write in whatever year you’d like under this regime, and that sentence rings true. Kaelon Black didn’t start at Indiana. He wasn’t among the 319 players invited to the NFL Combine. The sixth-year senior had to show his route-running chops […]
We’ve seen plenty of discussion surrounding where draft analysts and fans thought prospects would go, but not enough analysis on the players. We will never truly know where these players would have been picked. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch wrote a column where a current general manager said, “My guess would have been in […]
Social media had some fun with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who admitted he doesn’t watch college prospects until February. While the personnel and scouts are traveling and watching players year-round, Shanahan is, and you might want to sit down for this, coaching. He explained his process on the Rich Eisen Show: I […]
The Athletic’s Mike Sando offered insights from executives on all 16 NFC teams. The hot topic for the San Francisco 49ers has been their perceived reaches in the NFL Draft. That topic didn’t change in this article. The first exec weighed in on the consensus talk: “The consensus piece is really more about extracting value. […]
Scot McCloughan on 49ers’ draft: ‘I’d take Stribling in a heartbeat over Cooper’ (paywall)“I liked him quite a bit, to tell you the truth,” McCloughan said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Some people didn’t, and I don’t understand why, because he’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s got good ball skills. And he made plays. […]
The 49ers raised eyebrows in last week’s draft when they twice passed on the opportunity to take Omar Cooper Jr. or Denzel Boston in the first round, instead trading down twice and selecting their fellow wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd overall pick in the second round. After Cooper went No. 30 to the […]
In March 2025, the San Francisco 49ers claimed cornerback Tre Tomlinson off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams. A week after the NFL Draft, the 49ers announced they waived Tomlinson, who never stepped foot onto the football field this past season, even in the preseason. Tomlinson, a sixth-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, last […]
The 49ers’ all-world tight end’s 2025 season ended with an unfortunate Achilles injury in the 49ers’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card weekend. The physicality George Kittle plays with is almost unmatched, and he is undoubtedly the offense’s identity leader. Kittle ruptured his Achilles in January, but there have been whispers about a […]
With the internet ruining the word ‘consensus’ through incessant discussions, and how the 49ers run their drafts against it, Kyle Shanahan shed some light on his philosophy for this draft class and how it pertains to the present and future of the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan joined the Rich Eisen show and spoke about his […]
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided intel on every draft class about every team from NFL executives. Some thought the San Francisco 49ers would draft a wide receiver similar to Mike Evans. That was Denzel Boston. According to Fowler, the Niners got somebody closer to Chris Godwin Jr. instead with De’Zhaun Stribling: Mike Evans might look across the […]
The San Francisco 49ers have caught a lot of flack this week after the 2026 NFL Draft, where they made a few selections that deviated from the consensus board, leading many to believe that they reached on several draft picks. Following the draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan affirmed their belief […]
The San Francisco 49ers had another polarizing draft this offseason, with analysts varying in their evaluation of the team’s draft class. Heading into the draft with only a few needs, the 49ers addressed wide receiver, edge rusher, running back, and defensive tackle with their first four picks, adding needed depth at each position. There was […]
Did 49ers reach to draft De’Zhaun Stribling? Here’s one NFL GM’s blunt assessment (paywall)“The 49ers made Stribling one of 16 prospects who received a “gold-helmet” designation, which reflects qualities such as leadership, unselfishness, toughness and work ethic. The 49ers saw those traits displayed in his ferocious run blocking — they viewed him as the draft’s best […]
While people argue about draft reaches and consensus regarding the San Francisco 49ers draft class, how about some rational analysis about how second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling can be utilized situationally in Kyle Shanahan’s passing offense? While Stribling is being labeled a Jauan Jennings “replacement,” the comparison is really about body type. The juice Stribling has […]
The 2026 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror. The San Francisco 49ers could make a change here and there to their roster, but we have a good idea of what the team will look like heading into mini-camp and training camp. Thirteen starters return from the team that made the Divisional playoff round, and […]
The San Francisco 49ers roster didn’t have many starting spots to fill heading into the NFL Draft. Sure, there were a couple of positions where the team felt like they could upgrade. Addressing any depth concerns was also a priority. But we spent the past couple of months going back and forth between receivers and […]
We discussed Bob McGinn and his two decades of polling NFL personnel before the draft. Now that we know who the San Francisco 49ers draft picks are, let’s take a look back at the comments from those scouts to see how they felt about the prospects before they knew where those players would land. De’Zhuan […]
Hutchinson: 49ers’ draft approach was same old, same old (paywall)“Round 1, Pick 33: De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss: I don’t mind the Stribling pick. A lot of teams had him much higher than consensus boards. I had him as a late second-round pick, but he wouldn’t have been available at 58. I don’t mind it, […]
The San Francisco 49ers announced a pair of signings on Tuesday afternoon. Running back Sincere McCormick and safety Patrick McMorris agreed to one-year deals. McCormick spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad last season. McMorris is a new name, unless you watch college football in the Bay Area. He was selected by the Giants in […]
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t exactly developed a pipeline of talent through the draft recently, leaving the foundation of their team in question in the coming years. Running back is a perfect example. They missed on picks in back-to-back seasons, then pulled the plug and said, “Enough of this, let’s go get an All-Pro.” There’s […]
Following the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers have a new look to their linebacker room. Early in free agency, Dre Greenlaw returned to San Francisco to pair back up with Fred Warner. Dee Winters started next to Warner last season and performed admirably before a late-season decline, which was partly due to an injury. […]
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that San Francisco 49ers free agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings is set to visit the Minnesota Vikings on Monday and Wednesday. This comes after the Miami Dolphins reportedly had interest in Jennings’ services. The Vikings would be a great fit for Jennings. Minnesota just exercised Jordan Addison’s fifth-year option. Addison had […]
Long-time NFL and draft evaluator Greg Cossell was a fan of the first pick the San Francisco 49ers made in the draft. Cossell’s bottom line for De’Zhaun Stribling was, “I loved his tape.” More and more draft analysts acknowledge the 49ers reached for players earlier in this draft, but also admitted the team added good […]