49ers showing continued interest in local prospect for 2026 NFL draft

The San Francisco 49ers have taken a frequent interest in one local cornerback prospect in the 2026 NFL draft.

According to Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo, Cal CB Brent Austin met with San Francisco at the East-West Shrine Game, and later had a virtual meeting with him. Austin was also in attendance for the 49ers' local Pro Day at their team facility on April 8.

Repeated interest and meetings doesn't necessarily guarantee the 49ers will select a player or even have the opportunity to, but it's notable that they're doing due diligence on a player like Austin who is projected by the Athletic's Dane Brugler to land as an undrafted free agent signing. Brugler ranked Austin 35th-best CB in this year's class.

Via the Athletic:

Austin shows decent twitch in his movements to quickly collect, drive and affect the catch point. However, he doesn’t have ideal long speed and has a tough time recovering if caught out of position. He is competitive and tough-minded, both in coverage and versus the run, although his mediocre play strength will be more noticeable when facing NFL talent.

The 49ers have a need for depth at cornerback, but with a slew of other needs and only six picks to work with in this year's draft, including none after Round 4, they may need to rely on UDFAs to fill out some of their deeper roster needs.

Austin spent his first two college seasons at James Madison before transferring to South Florida and then Cal for his fourth and final season. He played in 42 games across those four years, racking up 110 tackles, three interceptions, two pick-sixes, 24 pass breakups and one forced fumble.

More 49ers: Maybe 49ers shouldn't worry about filling position needs in NFL draft

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Cal CB Brent Austin had multiple meetings with 49ers