I'm not a college football expert. At one time, I was...so I thought. I would spend each Saturday in the fall watching college football all day long. It didn't matter the teams. I watched as much as I could. I loved watching college football, and I knew the players well.
It's not that way anymore. On Saturdays during the NFL season, I cover the news for 49ers Webzone. So I'm usually writing about the 49ers rather than watching college football. And for those hours I'm not writing, my wife often has other ideas for how I can use my time. I'm too smart (and afraid) to tell her, "No."
So, I realize I'm not a college football/NFL draft expert. But it feels like the 49ers, during the John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan reign, have "a type." In my opinion, they have drafted for needs rather than "best player available" in the first two rounds.
There have been exceptions, of course, but in my humble and non-expert opinion, they have mostly drafted needs over talent. And by talent, I'm talking about taking the best player who was available to them when they drafted. Let's take a look back:
2017- In 2017, their first draft, they selected DL Solomon Thomas third overall. I'm not sure what their thinking was. Thomas wasn't the best player available, and he wasn't really a need, considering they already had DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. Later, they traded back into the first round to draft LB Rueben Foster, who many (myself included) thought would be a game-changer on defense. We were all wrong.
The 49ers had a slew of needs in 2017. That roster was talent-deprived. So, perhaps they believed these two picks were the best available. We know now they weren't, especially with players like Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey available. But the 49ers didn't believe QB was a need, and they were never going to take a back that high in the draft.
2018- In 2018, the 49ers took OT Mike McGlinchey in the first round and WR Dante Pettis in the second round. Those were both need picks.
2019- In 2019, they drafted DL Nick Bosa, the best player available and also a need pick. In the second round, they drafted WR Deebo Samuel. Those were great picks, whether they were based on needs or talent.
2020- In 2020, they drafted DL Javon Kinlaw in the first round. That was a need pick because they had traded Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts. I still haven't figured out that one. Later that round, they traded up to draft WR Brandon Aiyuk. The Kinlaw pick wasn't good, but the Aiyuk pick was…until…well, you know. If they had passed on Kinlaw, they could have had CeeDee Lamb and picked a defensive lineman later.
2021- 2021 was certainly a need pick. The 49ers traded away multiple first-rounders to trade up to number three so they could take QB Trey Lance. They were over the Jimmy Garoppolo experiment and wanted a more physically talented player. But they were so focused on making quarterback a need that they overlooked some very talented players who would have filled other needs, like LB Micah Parsons, CB Patrick Surtain II, and OT Penei Sewell. The 49ers drafted OL Aaron Banks in the 2021 second round. They likely saw him as the best player available at a position of need. That's not a flawed strategy. In fact, it's often the best approach.
2022- With no first-round pick in 2022, the 49ers drafted DL Drake Jackson in the second round. Though he was listed as an OLB, the 49ers were drafting him to be an edge rusher to complement Bosa. So, Jackson was essentially a DL. And he probably wasn't the best player available. That makes him a needs pick.
2023- In 2023, the 49ers had no first or second round picks because of the Lance trade and the trade for McCaffrey. Spoiler alert: they didn't do so well with their three third-round picks.
2024- In 2024, they drafted WR Ricky Pearsall in the first round and CB Renardo Green in the second round. Were those need picks, or did they believe those were the best players available?
2025- In 2025, San Francisco picked DL Mykel Williams in the first round and DL Alfred Collins in the second. It may be too early to know, but they both appear to be need picks.
In all, here's how the Lynch/Shanahan regime has picked in the first two rounds:
Round 1: DL (4), LB, OL, WR (2), QB
Round 2: WR (2), OL, DL (2), CB
So, that's six defensive linemen in the first two rounds and four wide receivers. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Bosa has made multiple Pro Bowls, been named All-Pro, and was crowned Defensive Rookie of the Year (2019) and Defensive Player of the Year (2022). Williams and Collins could develop into nice pieces along the starting defensive line.
Aiyuk was an All-Pro in 2023, and Samuel was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2021. Pettis was a reach, and Pearsall is still a work in progress. He looks like the real deal, but he's rarely healthy enough to be on the field.
As I mentioned earlier, it looks like Shanahan and Lynch "have a type." They like defensive linemen and wide receivers. Is that because Shanahan was a wide receiver, then became a WR coach before becoming an offensive coordinator, and ultimately, a head coach? Do they like defensive linemen because Lynch played behind some dominant defensive lines in his Hall of Fame career, and he knows how valuable that can be?
The 49ers, in nine drafts, have taken 10 players in the first and second rounds who have either played DL or WR. They've drafted two offensive linemen (OT and OG) and only three other positions (QB, CB, LB) in the first two rounds during their time in San Francisco.
This is not an indictment of the 49ers' ability, or lack thereof, to draft great players. Obviously, they have had success and have put together some very good rosters in that span. The 2023 roster was the best in the NFL, despite how the Super Bowl ended.
But as draft experts, content creators, and fans do their latest mock drafts and predictions, I wonder if the 49ers will stay on brand or alter their approach and do something different? San Francisco has been mocked to multiple wide receivers and edge rushers (whether they're listed as defensive linemen or linebackers). Will the 49ers draft a defensive lineman and a wide receiver, adding to those already drafted at those positions? Or will they draft a different position, like offensive line or safety? They've also been linked to offensive tackles, guards, tight ends, and defensive backs.
To be fair, when they were drafting those DL and WR, they likely believed those were positions of need. And in some cases, they were. But I wonder how many times they picked based on need, rather than drafting the best player available.
We are a little less than two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft. The 49ers have two picks in the first two rounds. They still need that elusive edge rusher they've been searching for since Dee Ford left. And some believe they still need help at wide receiver.
My prediction: the 49ers will add picks 11 and 12 to that group of DL/WR. But maybe they'll fool us all and go in a different direction. Stay tuned!
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