4 Positions the 49ers Will Avoid Taking in the 2026 NFL Draft
With only six picks in the NFL draft this year, the San Francisco 49ers will need to be more selective than in other years
Barring a trade, six picks is all they will be making
They will likely keep it that way to avoid picking players they don’t view as contributors beyond the fourth round
Since their picks are limited, they have to rule out drafting some positions
Four positions to be exact, and it starts with cornerback
Typically, whenever the 49ers want to draft a cornerback, they do it on Day 3 of the draft
However, with only six picks, four of them in the fourth round, there’s no way they target the position
For starters, the position is crowded already
It became crowded after they signed Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones
Their starters are Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout
Hobbs and Jones slot in as backups, but also as competition for Green
There’s also Darrell Luter Jr
, who has started when needed, as well as several other players used as fillers
The lack of draft capital and an overcrowded position indicate the 49ers will not take a cornerback
Maybe if they trade down and get picks in the fifth or sixth round, but I wouldn’t hold my breath
There’s no reason at all for the 49ers to draft a quarterback this year
Obviously, Brock Purdy is their guy, but even considering a project behind him is pointless
It’s an underwhelming quarterback class, and with Mac Jones and Kurtis Rourke on the roster, drafting a quarterback would essentially be lighting that pick on fire
Besides, it’s not like the 49ers want to deal with another rookie anyway
That’s probably why they didn’t mind drafting Roure despite his injury
Another position that is overcrowded is linebacker
Dre Greenlaw is back to duo with Fred Warner on the field
Dee Winters is still in the mix, but his roster spot is questionable
Tatum Bethune is a decent backup, Nick Martin is there, and they brought back Garrett Wallow, who flashed in the playoffs
I wouldn’t say there’s no chance a linebacker doesn’t get taken
But I wouldn’t put it higher than a slight chance, and that’s just for special teams purposes
I’d be surprised either way if they went linebacker over anything else
X (Twitter) @JS3sanchezz This article was originally published on www
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This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM