49ers insider thinks team could use a top 2026 draft pick on a safety

Between all the conversations of which positions the San Francisco 49ers will look to select in the first two rounds of the 2026 draft, one area seems to have fallen by the wayside: The secondary.

Experts have predicted edge rushers, receivers and/or offensive linemen to the 49ers in the first two rounds, but a low-key need for San Francisco is in the secondary after the team ranked 25th in passing yards allowed and 21st in passing touchdowns allowed.

And while the cornerback room might be solid at the moment, NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco said that it wouldn't shock him if the 49ers bounced on a safety with one of their first two picks instead of waiting to add to that room on Day 3.

"I just feel like the 49ers believe that there's more out there, that they can make more plays at safety," he said. "They can get their hands on the football more. They can generate more takeaways. So, it wouldn't shock me if they used one of their first two picks to try to improve that safety position.

"They never really figured out who their starting safeties were other than [Malik] Mustapha."

It would be uncharacteristic of the 49ers to take a safety that early, though. San Francisco has waited until Day 3 to draft most of their starters, including Mustapha, who was a fourth-round pick in 2024.

Marques Sigle, who started the first seven games of the 2025 season for San Francisco, was a fifth-round rookie this past year, while Ji'Ayir Brown, who started 13 games, was a third-round pick in 2023. Jason Pinnock started seven games himself but signed with the New York Giants in 2026.

But, as Maiocco said, this group didn't really force turnovers in 2025. Mustapha had one interception, Brown had a forced fumble and Sigle had a fumble recovery. None of these players are paid highly, either, so it wouldn't be hard for San Francisco to find a replacement in 2026.