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The San Francisco 49ers will turn the page to 2026 for another crack at a Super Bowl run. Seattle ended S.F’s season in disruptive fashion on Saturday — forcing the Niners to start thinking about the NFL Draft.
The era of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have discovered multiple draft gems. Brock Purdy became one of their best late round finds. George Kittle and Deommodore Lenoir arrived via the fifth round. Nick Bosa has dominated when healthy after going No. 2 in the 2019 draft.
But the Niners aren’t getting any younger. Particularly at Kittle’s spot and more important, at left tackle with Trent Williams nearing 40. Christian McCaffrey is another hitting the twilight years of his career.
The mixture of age, injuries and Seattle’s impressive game plan contributed to the 41-6 debacle. S.F still believes the championship window remains open. But they must once again nail their next set of draft picks and find help, or the future, at key spots. These are three players to target with either the 26th or 27th pick in April (S.F’s draft slot becomes finalized after Sunday’s games).
Brandon Aiyuk is likely heading to the trade market or faces a release. He never took part in this 2025 run with the Niners and Jauan Jennings emerged as the WR1 in his absence.
But just imagine the combination of Jennings and Elijah Sarratt together. S.F. presents a new red zone nightmare for future defenses.
Sarratt hands Shanahan and Purdy a back-shoulder catch monster. His presence can take immense pressure off Jennings as the possession target — while also creating new one-on-one matchups for Ricky Pearsall.
Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt (6-2, 213) will play in the NFL 7-10 years.
Chain mover- 80%+ of catches are 1st down
65% contested catch win
Career: 228 catches, 3535 yards (15.8 YPC), 41 TDAll business.
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) January 1, 2026
The 49ers’ front office have a wide receiver to watch on Monday night down at Hard Rock Stadium. But Sarratt isn’t the only national title game representative to watch if you’re the Niners.
Scott is one of the more versatile defenders on the field for the 2026 National Championship game.
And he’s looks every bit like a DB the 49ers would covet — Lynch especially.
The GM likely would love Scott’s attacking ability down the line of scrimmage, nearly reminiscent of Lynch’s own career. But Scott brings the versatility to single cover wide receivers too.
He’ll be mature and ready to go as a 24-year-old prospect come April. Think of a more aggressive version of Jimmie Ward here.
Say Proctor falls all the way to where S.F. is. Shanahan, Lynch and the scouting department must resist passing on him.
Proctor brings an intriguing blend of massive size (6-foot-7, 366-pounds) and versatility as he can move to guard. Of course,...
