Evaluating 49ers' first-round trades and who they might draft on Day 2

Reclined at No. 27 overall in the NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers watched the outside world sit up for a Day 1 full of surprises. General manager John Lynch wanted no part of it. So he did a lot of work, to do no work.

Lynch mentioned at the top of the week he and his staff would be happy "to just let this thing come to us" given their shortage of picks. No trading up. Dealing down to acquire more draft capital appeared more plausible, particularly after Lynch revealed the Niners assigned fewer first-round grades this year than last year's 20. That list of players the 49ers considered first-round talents, according to Lynch, ran out shortly before their original pick at No. 27.

"They didn't run out till a couple picks before we picked," Lynch said. "We say a couple, a couple that we realistically thought would get to where we were."

The Niners entered Thursday night with six draft picks. By shedding their first-round choice at No. 27 and again at No. 30, they ended the evening with an extra pick. Lynch will open Day 2 on the clock at No. 33 with a number of prospects still on the board whom head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged the 49ers would have taken at 30, if a second trade did not materialize.

More For You

49ers trade out of first round, stock up on Day 2 draft picks after pair of deals

The San Francisco 49ers didn't make a pick in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. They traded back twice, in deals with the Dolphins and Jets, to increase their draft stash.

49ers mock draft: An answer for every Niners need, plus a trade for a third-day pick

The San Francisco 49ers need eventual replacements for Mike Evans and Trent Williams, youngsters to help Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey, and more. We found a way to get all of that.

"The guys that we would have had to take at 30 are still there," Shanahan said.

The 49ers also maintain the rights to their own second-round pick at No. 58, plus a third-rounder at No. 90 from the Dolphins.

After nine offensive linemen were taken within the first 32 picks, wide receiver and edge rusher appear to be the safest bets, given the available options. But a fringe first-round offensive guard and safety have also yet to hear their names called.

Here is a mini-big board for what the 49ers can do at No. 33.

-WR Denzel Boston (Washington): Big target at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds. Projects as an X receiver, the position Mike Evans plays.

-EDGE Cashius Howell (Texas A&M): Twitchy speed burner off the edge. Pass-rush help.

-EDGE R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma): Undersized with a sudden first step. Pass-rush help.

-OG Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M): Could have easily been a first-round pick. Ranked as the No. 2 guard in the Beast, by Dane Brugler of the Athletic.

-OG Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon): Just shy of being a consensus All-American in his lone season at Oregon.

-S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo): Three-year college starter. Would easily be the biggest safety, with notable speed, on the roster at 6-foot-3 and 200-plus pounds.

-S A.J. Haulcy (LSU): First-team All-SEC at LSU in 2025. First-team All-Big 12 at Houston in 2024. Recorded 10 interceptions in four college seasons.

-CB Colton Hood (Tennessee): Accepted invite to attend Day 1 of draft. His lone campaign as a full-time starter came with the Volunteers. Third-team All-Sec last season.

How would you evaluate the 49ers' decision to deal themselves out of the first round?

Noah Furtado: This year's draft lacked first-round depth. The 49ers did not have enough picks to justify trading up for the guys they liked. Lynch already forecasted his hope to add, not subtract, picks earlier this week. But trading down twice on Day 1? That was easier said than done considering Ty Simpson, the Rams' OMG selection at No. 13, appeared to be the best bait for teams potentially interested in trading up into the late first round. Not to mention pretty much every team with a late-first pick was looking for a trade. Kudos to Lynch. The first trade, which he said was pre-arranged, was especially impressive. Moving up 48 spots from No. 138 to No. 90 in exchange for only moving down three spots from No. 27 to No. 30 is great value for the Niners, who did not enter this draft with a third-round pick. Grade: A

Eric Branch: Let's put it this way: Plenty of fans would have been happy if they had stayed at No. 27 and drafted Boston. The 49ers could still take Boston at No. 33, but they'd do so after turning a fourth-round pick into a third-rounder and adding a fifth-round selection thanks to their two deals. Not bad. Lynch had said Monday it was an unappealing first round - he declined to say how many first-round grades the 49ers had given players after offering that information in past years - so it made sense to move out when the players they'd deemed worthy were gone. That said, two players at positions of need, Indiana wideout Omar Cooper (No. 30) and Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk (No. 31), were taken after they traded back to No. 33. Lynch and Shanahan said they didn't miss out on a player they wanted after moving back three spots. Sounds good on draft night. It won't if Cooper or Faulk become All-Pros. Grade: B-plus

Who should they take with the first pick of the second round?

Furtado: Boston. I could've seen the Niners taking him No. 27 overall. I'm fairly confident he was one of the guys Shanahan referenced as an option at No. 30 who ended up sliding to the second round. He can be an understudy to Evans, 32, and still contribute from Day 1. The 49ers paid Aiyuk to be their WR1 at the X position for the foreseeable future. Evans is probably the best fill-in they could have hoped for. Boston projects as a long-term solution. He isn't fast, but he's a big red-zone target with strong hands and a frame that should enable him to block well enough for Shanahan's liking. Of course, an argument can be made to prioritize pass rush first. The thing is, Boston won't fall to No. 58, where other viable speed rushers will be. I think he is closer to a first-round talent than those still available at the edge position. Offensive guard, safety and (definitely) corner can wait.

Branch: Howell. The 49ers had an NFL-worst 20 sacks last season (you might have heard about this) and Howell is still available after an 11-sack season in which he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. So why did the unanimous All-American fall out of the first round? That's easy. His itty-bitty arm length (30¼ inches). That's not helpful when it comes to fending off long-limbed NFL offensive tackles, but Howell has rare burst and there's something to be said for his production against elite competition. It's not as if he tore it up in the Big Sky Conference.

Who is the most intriguing Day 2 prospect for them?

Furtado: Romello Height, a relatively small but fast pass rusher out of Texas Tech, whom I mocked to the 49ers at No. 58 this week. He's probably a reach there. His consensus big-board ranking is firmly in the third round at No. 77, according to the NFL Mock Draft Database, an aggregation of all publicly accessible mock drafts. If he is still around when the 49ers are up at No. 90, I think he presents better value in that slot. His teammate David Bailey went No. 2 overall. Bailey ranked first in the Big 12 in pressures. Height was second. Yes, he is one of the older prospects at age 25. But his floor can help the Niners immediately on passing downs, even if he never becomes an every-down defensive end at 6-3 and a (slim) 239 pounds.

Branch: Arizona DB Treydan Stukes. This would be fun. If Stukes is available at No. 58, the 49ers could add a chess piece for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Stukes was a three-year starter and three-time captain with versatility that allowed him to line up at nickel corner (1,174 snaps), outside corner (943) and safety (503). Stukes didn't commit a penalty in his final two seasons and didn't surrender a touchdown in coverage in 2025. The 49ers could have options with Stukes. He could compete with outside CB Renardo Green, who ended his sophomore-slump season by getting an earful from Shanahan on the sideline. Or he could compete to start at safety alongside Malik Mustapaha.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 2:07 AM.