Buckner, Armstead among those that will not play against Broncos

It was amazing for new San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson to hear his name called on Friday night during the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft. His new teammate, Arik Armstead, announced the pick. Even more amazing for the 21-year-old defender was having several of his new 49ers teammates, including Armstead and Nick Bosa, immediately reach out to him. "It's crazy. I talked to both of them," Jackson said Wednesday morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "Nick Bosa texted me. Arik Armstead FaceTimed me right after. ... Trey Lance had called me. Emmanuel Moseley hit me up. I was astounded. I'm like, 'Damn, this is crazy.' Everybody hitting me up off the team, but they're kind of like legends too. I'm fanboying, but I've got to be professional

The San Francisco 49ers face the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams twice. They also face the Raiders for the first time since the latter left the Bay Area for Las Vegas. The two once-local rivals will play at Allegiant Stadium. The 49ers also host briefly-retired Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Every time the Niners face Brady, fans are treated (said sarcastically) to stories about how the future Hall of Fame quarterback loved the Bay Area team growing up and dreamed of playing for the 49ers. He has won seven Super Bowls since. Or, more recently, how the Niners passed on signing Brady in 2020. The quarterback went on to win that seventh Super Bowl that season. None of those matchups are

The NFL will announce the entire 2022 slate of matchups on Thursday night. That's when we'll learn the dates and times for all 272 regular-season games. However, we've known the opponents for a while now. If the San Francisco 49ers are to return to the playoffs for the third time in four years, it won't be an easy road. San Francisco's upcoming opponents went 154-135 in 2021. The team's schedule will include seven matchups against opponents coming off a playoff appearance (Rams twice, Cardinals twice, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Raiders). Those opponents had a total winning percentage of .533 in 2021, which is good enough to tie with the Kansas City Chiefs as the fifth-toughest schedule

The San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp kicked off Friday afternoon, with the 49ers revealing the rookie jersey numbers prior to media availability. Sixth-round selection Nick Zakelj, who will wear No. 63, spoke with the media on Friday for the first time since draft night and shared a rather interesting fact about his football childhood. Zakelj is a Cleveland native, drawing a connection to Alex Mack, whom the rookie watched while growing up. Mack began his career as a member of the Cleveland Browns, playing from 2009-2015 before stints with the Falcons and the 49ers. "I think definitely watching guys like Alex, especially growing up in Cleveland, being drafted, I