The San Francisco 49ers signed an ultra-talented defensive lineman that the rest of the NFL forgot to draft

The San Francisco 49ers may have just landed a massive steal in free agency following the 2026 NFL Draft class.

The San Francisco 49ers just put together a slightly bizarre 2026 NFL Draft class, which has been pretty consistent under head coach Kyle Shanahan andgeneral manager John Lynch. While there is some negativity around the overall haul, every class has value to be found, both during and after the draft concluded.

After the draft, the 49ers were able to land former Illinois defensive tackle James Thompson Jr., who many thought would be drafted. This is a perfect situation for Thompson to walk into with depth issues on the interior defensive line for San Francisco. He was talented enough to get drafted, and now the 49ers have a chance to explore his fit.

We could look back at Thompson’s fall and wonder what caused him to fall out of the seven rounds, especially in a poor draft class. There is a lot of value and upside to work with here.

James Thompson Jr.’s scouting report

From a physical perspective, there is a lot to like about Thompson. At 6-5 and 308 pounds, he is a really smooth overall athlete. There is some natural penetration upside, especially in the running game. Thompson has also shown upside working at the point of attack, including improved hand nuance and timing with experience in both even and odd fronts.

The 49ers have been a team that has also prioritized versatile defensive tackles in the past. Thompson fits that profile perfectly. Despite Thompson being a bit of an older prospect, there is still some clear athletic upside left to tap into.

James Thompson Jr.’s career background

Thompson was considered to be a three-star defensive end out of (Ohio) Roger Bacon in the 2020 recruiting class. The Wisconsin signee finished ranked as the No. 1,310 overall player, the No. 64 strong-side defensive end, and the No. 55 player from the state of Ohio for the class. He chose the Badgers over offers from Iowa State, Akron, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, and Navy.