49ers' ideal draft plan involves two upgrades to complete defensive reload

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49ers' ideal draft plan involves two upgrades to complete defensive reload originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 NFL Draft is looking like it could be a wild one, with a lot of differing opinions on the top prospects in the class. After Fernando Mendoza goes first overall, there's a lot of uncertainty throughout the draft.

For the San Francisco 49ers, that uncertainty could be a good thing, as some players whom they might view much higher than other teams might fall to their early picks at No. 27 and 58 overall.

With those two early picks in the first two rounds, ESPN's Ben Solak believes that the 49ers' ideal draft plan involves upgrading two positions to complete the reloading of the San Francisco defense.

49ers' ideal draft plan involves two defensive upgrades​

"The bottom line: Complete the defensive reload with another splashy edge and a starting safety," Solak writes.

There has been plenty of buzz about the 49ers going offense, whether it's a wide receiver to pair with Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall, an offensive tackle as a Trent Williams long-term replacement, or even a tight end like Kenyon Sadiq.

But, Solak believes that the 49ers' best interest in this year's draft is to reload the defense, specifically going after a new "splashy" edge rusher and a starting safety.

Edge rusher is a massive need, and there are bound to be some interesting options that are available at their first-round pick.

A few players who, if they fall, could make it to the 49ers' pick are Auburn's Keldric Faulk or Miami's Akheem Mesidor. More realistic options include Texas A&M's Cashius Howell, Clemson's T.J. Parker, and Missouri's Zion Young.

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Malachi Lawrence from UCF and Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas are also players to watch with their first-round pick. While they could wait until later in the draft to find a new edge rusher, the first-round is likely their best bet to get a "splashy" edge.

Then, at safety, there's a very, very small chance Oregon's Dillon Thieneman falls to them, while Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren isn't likely to be on the board when the 49ers pick.

But, down the board a bit, the 49ers could target Penn State's Zakee Wheatley or Arizona's Treydan Stukes. Other options include Genesis Smith, A.J. Haulcy, Kamari Ramsey, Bud Clark, and Michael Taaffe.

Solak believes the 49ers should come out of the NFL Draft with a new starting safety and a "splashy" edge rusher. Those are two big needs for the 49ers, and could be their first and second round picks in this year's draft.

More 49ers news:​

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• 49ers plan to limit Christian McCaffrey’s touches in 2026
• 49ers searching for possible Brandon Aiyuk trade instead of a simple release
• Nick Bosa named as 49ers’ most overpaid player with $170M dealoi
• 49ers could be interested in Kayvon Thibodeaux

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