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The early rumblings of the 2026 NFL season are already here as teams have begun rookie minicamps and OTAs, getting an early look at incoming talent to each roster. The San Francisco 49ers are looking to bounce back after a respectable run in the playoffs last season, but a Super Bowl has become the standard in the bay area and maximizing the roster they have.
The 49ers held eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, four of which were used on offensive and defensive lineman. The clear focus has been building protection around Brock Purdy and finding athletic blockers to help Christian McCaffrey lead the league in all-purpose yards as he’s capable of doing.
The squad is putting in work at OTAs #49ers || #FTTB
Via: @49ers pic.twitter.com/kaZUlwdFkX
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) May 27, 2026
This biggest offseason news for the 49ers has been the acquisition of future Hall-of-Famer Mike Evans after 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two-time All-Pro joins an already stacked offense highlighted by McCaffrey, Georgie Kittle, and the recent addition of WR Christian Kirk, fully building around Brock Purdy and the potential of this offense.
However, as is the case with most NFL rosters, there’s a few hidden gems scattered throughout that are just waiting for their opportunity to shine. We’ll take a look at two players in particular with ton of potential to do exactly that with the San Francisco 49ers.
Jalen Graham enters his fourth season with the 49ers listed fourth on the depth chart at the RILB position. The starting slot is occupied by none other than franchise legend Fred Warner who’s looking to have a big bounce back season following a season-ending ankle injury. In front of Graham are teammates Tatum Bethune and Jaden Dugger, all led by former ‘Legion of Boom’ Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright as their positional coach in his first year.
KJ Wright spoke with SI’s Grant Cohn regarding the linebacking corps and had some particularly high praise for Graham.
“Look out for Jalen Graham, he’s a guy that can play all three positions. Right now, he’s at the Mike-backer because Luke [Gifford] got the concussion. Jalen Graham has look phenomenal – the way he bends, the way he’s seeing the game, his footwork. He’s doing an outstanding job for us this OTAs.”
Wright went on, “I love Jalen, his background – he played nickel in college. So, I love Jalen.”
It’s quite high praise from the linebackers coach and KJ Wright could see a little bit of himself in Jalen Graham given his strong, yet versatile and fluid ability to play the position. While he hasn’t seen much playing time over the last three seasons, expect Graham to have a strong presence in the linebacking room and with his play on the practice field.
The 49ers selected National Champion Indiana Hoosiers RB...
