Why 49ers draft pick Gracen Halton believes adversity prepared him for NFL

SANTA CLARA — Gracen Halton believes the adversity he faced at Oklahoma set him up for success at the next level.The 49ers selected the defensive tackle with the No. 107 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, adding depth and versatility to the interior of the line. Unlike most of the 49ers’ draft class, Halton spent his entire collegiate career at Oklahoma.“It was great,” Halton shared via video conference. “Going in freshman year to senior year, had a lot of things to overcome. I did it. I’m glad. I was at the right school to do what I needed to do. And I had a great experience.”Halton could have escaped via the transfer portal, but chose to stay at Oklahoma and learn how to succeed when things weren’t always going in his favor. “Yeah, man, just talks about my heart, my mindset, what it’s like when things get hard,” Halton said. “You got to overcome. When adversity hits you, you got to find another way to overcome what you need to do. Things got harder in Oklahoma, I just kept on going, had the horse blinders on and kept on moving forward.”Part of Halton’s challenge was needing to adjust in...