49ers grab 3 potential needs in new 3-round 2027 mock draft

[ASFN Admin]

The 2026 season hasn't even started yet, but that doesn't mean we can't start looking at the 2027 NFL draft.

The San Francisco 49ers (currently) have all three of their own first-round picks in 2027. But, knowing how a team that is in potential contention window fares, that could change over the coming weeks and months if the 49ers see this roster as true Super Bowl contenders.

Pro Football Network's Ian Cummings mocked out the first three rounds of the draft and landed on a three very different positional needs for San Francisco, based on how their roster currently looks: center, edge rusher and receiver.

Here's how the mock draft went for the 49ers:

Round 1, Pick No. 26: C Kade Pieper, Iowa​

Pieper’s 2025 production is an encouraging precursor for a move to center that will test him in new and different ways. Even with acclimation necessary, Pieper’s raw tools are easy to bank on. At 6’4″, 290 pounds, Pieper is a compact, streamlined blocker with extraordinary athleticism. Per Feldman’s Freaks List, he’s rumored to have a legendary 10-yard split of 1.52, a vertical jump of 37.4″, and a short-shuttle of 4.13, all of which would rank in the 100th percentile among centers all-time.

He needs to continue adding mass and improving his grip and core strength, but for zone-heavy schemes such as Kyle Shanahan’s in San Francisco, Pieper has high-level starter upside, and can be a game changer at the fulcrum when Jake Brendel inevitably moves on.

Round 2, Pick No. 58: EDGE Anthony Smith, Minnesota​

At 6’6″, 285 pounds, Anthony Smith has a unique blend of size, length, lean mass, and flexibility, and while he’s not the most dynamic pass-rusher, he’s a ready-made power producer with respectable run defense utility.

Round 3, Pick No. 90: WR Ryan Wingo​

At 6’2″, 211 pounds, with hyper-elite speed and explosion, Ryan Wingo has the athletic profile the 49ers look for along with dynamic RAC and building blocks as a separator.

The big assumption here is that the 49ers won't extend center Jake Brendel before free agency starts and won't sign anyone to the position heading into draft season. Those are two big "ifs," considering how important the offensive line is to the 49ers and how star left tackle Trent Williams is nearing the end of his career. So, if this scenario unfolds, taking a center this early would make sense. Whether or not the answer is Pieper is something we won't know until we see how the 2026 college season goes.

As for Smith and Wingo, the 49ers can never have too many edge rushers and receivers.

Smith would be a dynamic second-round pick after he left the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks for Minnesota in 2025. He's an experienced player, too, after he elected to return in 2026 following a 39-game career with the Gophers.

Wingo, meanwhile, will be playing for one of the better offenses in college football with the projected No. 1 overall pick in Arch Manning under center. Wingo had a solid 2025 season, too, with 834 yards and seven touchdowns on 54 receptions. He would build on a solid core of pass-catchers alongside Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and De'Zhaun Stribling, assuming Christian Kirk doesn't also return.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers grab 3 potential needs in new 3-round 2027 mock draft

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