49ers focus on biggest needs in new 7-round mock draft
· Yahoo Sports
All drafts are important, but the 2026 draft will be especially critical for the San Francisco 49ers as they try to regain a foothold in the ultra-competitive NFC West. Between the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the NFC runner-up Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers have a lot of ground to gain if they want to get back to competing for Lombardi Trophies.
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The draft is a great place to start on that path. The 49ers have six picks — all in the first four rounds. Two of those picks are in the first 60 selections: Nos. 27 and 58.
San Francisco can go in a few different directions with its selections, but The Draft Network's Jaime Eisner alternated between offense and defense early before skewing more offense in the fourth round.
Here are his picks for the 49ers:
- Round 1 (No. 27): Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
- Round 2 (No. 58): Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
- Round 4 (No. 127): Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
- Round 4 (No. 133): Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
- Round 4 (No. 138): Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
- Round 4 (No. 139): J'Mari Taylor, RB, Virginia
Mesidor is obviously the biggest name that pops out. The 6-foot-3 edge rusher out of Miami led the ACC with 12.5 sacks in 2025, but will be 25 years old when the 2026 season starts after he played six seasons in college. However, the 49ers need support on the edge with injuries to Nick Bosa, Mykell Williams and Keion White, so the selection makes sense.
The 49ers' second-biggest need isn't receiver, but Chris Bell gives the unit much more youth after the acquisitions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. Bell caught 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, and has 151 receptions for 2,166 yards and 12 touchdowns in 47 college games.
The rest of the picks fill out the depth at various positions. Everette is an experienced playmaking cornerback from Georgia who had four interceptions in the past two seasons. Roush is a solid blocking tight end prospect. Crownover provides backup potential at right tackle. Taylor is a fun running back addition who rushed for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025 after playing FCS football earlier in his career.
The interesting part of this class is the players' ages. Mesidor, Crownover and Taylor are all at least 24-years-old, Roush is 22 and Bell and Everette are both 21. All six have ample college experience, so perhaps Kyle Shanahan might be looking more for players who can contribute quickly rather than develop over time.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL draft: Akheem Mesidor, Chris Bell among 49ers haul in 7-round mock