Mel Kiper Jr. Grades 49ers' 2026 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers had themselves a memorable draft over the weekend. For it to be memorable in a good way, the players they drafted may need to rewrite the story on the football field.

NFL enthusiasts were quick to criticize the team's draft, although it did bring in a handful of good college players. That did not prevent San Francisco from receiving criticism.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Niners draft a C-grade. Here's some of what he had to say about the team's 2026 draft class.

"The 49ers traded out of Day 1, and I wrote about their Day 2 on Friday night. There were some really confusing picks in this class. I like De'Zhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black and some others, but it seemed like general manager John Lynch went off the board to get the guys he wanted, often way ahead of where they were valued.

The Niners needed to fix their depth more than anything. Last season, injuries gutted the roster. San Francisco went 12-5 and lost in the divisional round, but it was a what-could-have-been kind of season. Nick Bosa (knee) missed 14 games. Fred Warner (ankle) missed 11. Mykel Williams missed the back half of his rookie year with his own knee injury. George Kittle was out six games, and the receiver room took its share of hits (perhaps most notable with Brandon Aiyuk not returning at all and now looking like he'll be headed elsewhere).

On top of all that, Trent Williams is turning 38 years old. He recently agreed to a reworked deal that at least ensures he will be there in 2026, but I had San Francisco looking at the OT class even before the two sides settled on a restructure. The team needs to be thinking ahead."

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) celebrate after a play during the second half against the Cleveland Browns. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The San Francisco coaching staff and front office probably had a different assessment of team needs than Kiper, who had the team with six positional needs in his draft coverage. Certainly, they had a different idea of the severity of their needs given that the Niners drafted differently than Kiper would.

Kiper's belief that the 49ers over-drafted a handful of players is shared by others who cover the NFL. And while that might not be the case, recent failures by the team in the draft make it reasonable to question the current draft picks. The 2026 season will reveal whether or not it was a good draft.