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San Francisco 49ers Brock Purdy (13) walks to the sideline after being sacked on a fourth down play by Seattle Seahawks Leonard Williams (99) during the third quarter of the NFC Divisional Round playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
The San Francisco 49ers went 12-5 last season, played for the NFC's No. 1 seed in Week 18 and upset the Eagles, the defending Super Bowl champions, in the wild-card round despite enduring a rash of injuries that would have other teams making Cabo plans by mid-November.
Right? I mean, that all did happen, correct? I ask because after the 49ers' 2025 accomplishments, the first mailbag of 2026 is filled with questions that could have been submitted by one of the Cardinals' 52 remaining fans.
Why all the doom and gloom? The bad vibes come after watching the Seahawks mop the floor with the 49ers twice last month and then make a Champagne-soaked mess of their locker-room floor while celebrating a title. The Faithful aren't feeling great after the 49ers' divisional rival dominated Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium after beating the Rams, another rival that appears to be a few steps ahead, in the NFC Championship Game.
@WrangleMickey, on X: How many years of good drafts would it take to catch the Seahawks and Rams?
Well, it would take one - if the 49ers' 2026 draft was like the Seahawks' 2025 draft (Grey Zabel, Nick Emmanwori) or their 2023 draft (Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba). Or if they could replicate the Rams' 2024 draft (Jared Verse, Braden Fiske) or their 2023 draft (Byron Young, Puka Nacua).
The 49ers' foes have surpassed them partly because they've recently found instant-impact stars, often at the top of their drafts, while the 49ers will employ one player (Brock Purdy) among the 50 picks from their past six drafts who has been earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition once they part with Brandon Aiyuk this offseason.
The gaps could be erased before Thanksgiving if the 49ers drafted at least one Emmanwori-esque rookie, welcomed back Fred Warner and Nick Bosa and had their last two first-round picks, Mykel Williams and Ricky Pearsall, become answers to problems instead of question marks.
@Patrici12411902: Why can't the 49ers draft better offensive and defensive prospects like other teams do?
Let's not leave out special-teams prospects (Jake Moody, third round)! A mailbag isn't the place for a deep dive into their recent draft history, but, yes, other teams have been doing it better recently.
In the 49ers' defense: They have made 19 picks in the past two drafts, 18 remain on the team and it's too early to assign a letter grade. The flip side: See the answer to Question 1.
@bushwoodgc: Is the 49ers' problem draft or development? Seems like many rookies look great in training camp and the preseason and then disappear in the regular season.
Respectfully, you might have been brainwashed by Roger Goodell and NFL owners who want everyone to believe preseason and regular-season games are, like, basically the same (Commissioner in 2031: We remain committed to healthy and safety with this 20-game regular-season schedule because … no exhibition games!)
If NFL starters remove their baseball cap in the preseason, they rarely break a sweat, meaning the field is filled with soon-to-be accountants and electricians. It's a reason why some of the 49ers' past summer stars have been forgotten by the fall. In 2025, undrafted rookie defensive tackle Sebastian "The Hulk" Valdez didn't play a regular-season snap after he forklifted offensive linemen in August.
Is that because he wasn't properly coached up? I don't think the 49ers' coaching staffs have been an issue since Shanahan arrived in 2017. They currently have eight former assistants who are either NFL coordinators or head coaches, Shanahan is a three-time Coach of the Year finalist, and they still have highly respected position coaches such as Kris Kocurek (defensive line), Chris Forester (offensive line) and Bobby Turner (running backs).
That is, they've had coaches who can help young players to reach their full potential. As far as their recent drafts, it's fair to ask: Have they too often miscalculated when assessing those young players' potential?
@510maleake49ers: Nick Bosa needs help. Is there any way Lynch and Shanahan can adjust their philosophy by adding a young speed rusher?
Yes, the 49ers have a type - big and brawny - when it comes to their defensive ends. They want them to be sturdy enough as run defenders to "set the edge" - not allowing running backs to get to the sideline by fending off perimeter blocks by tackles and tight ends.
Bosa is 6-foot-4, 266 pounds. Yetur Gross-Matos: 6-5, 265. Clelin Ferrell: 6-4, 265. Sam Okuayinonu: 6-1, 269. See a pattern?
That said, Shanahan never sounded more willing to tweak his defensive philosophy last month before replacing coordinator Robert Saleh with Raheem Morris, who doesn't have a background in the 49ers' 4-3, Seattle-style scheme. Notably, he hired Morris instead of in-house candidate Gus Bradley, who helped popularize the system the 49ers have run since Shanahan was hired.
"That's how this league works now," Shanahan said of becoming less predictable on defense. "Offensive coaches know how to attack things too much and so you have to (increase) the variables on what they know they're going to get."
It's possible tweaks to the defensive front could prompt the 49ers to cast a wider net when it comes to edge rushers, allowing them to increase their draft odds on hitting on the right prospect.
It would have helped in 2022 when they used their second-round pick on since-released Drake Jackson (6-4, 273) three spots before the Broncos selected Nick Bonitto (6-3, 240), a two-time Pro Bowl pick with 27.5 sacks the past two seasons.
Bosa and Bonitto. Sounds better than Bosa and who?
@Invader49er: Should fans appreciate Jake Brendel more?
Those fans on social media who think the 49ers have employed a tomato can at center for the past four seasons? Brendel suffers from Mike McGlinchey Syndrome. Like the 49ers former right tackle, Brendel (299 pounds) is a bit undersized for his position and occasionally has lowlight-reel snaps in which he's bullied backwards.
Also like McGlinchey: NFL talent evaluators disagree with @Ninerz4evah and @fireshanahan when assessing Brendel's value. In 2023, after supposedly stinking for five seasons with the 49ers, McGlinchey signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Broncos. In 2023, Brendel signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the 49ers after he received contract offers from three other teams, with the Jets enlisting QB Aaron Rodgers to recruit him with a one-hour phone call.
Kyle Shanahan rarely criticizes players publicly, but he also doesn't tend to offer lofty praise that isn't merited. Last month, he termed Brendel, a UCLA economics major, one of the NFL's top centers and said he's never had a center any better when it comes to making pre-snap blocking adjustments. That's crucial in Shanahan's system because almost all those duties are handled by the center, not the QB, and the 49ers' extensive use of motion creates defensive movement that adds to Brendel's workload.
@Giants_Niners: Isaac Guerendo can be a weapon, but fumbling put him in Kyle's doghouse. Do you see him sticking around next season?
Did you mean outhouse? The 2024 fourth-round pick who had a promising rookie season didn't have a carry last season, was stripped of his kickoff-return duties early in the season and eventually replaced on the active gameday roster by rookie Jordan James.
Fumbling has been an issue. And so has staying healthy. But I think Guerendo's rare blend of size and speed means he'll be given a legitimate opportunity to compete for a meaningful role next season. In 2024, he averaged 5.0 yards a carry and had runs of 76 and 30 yards on 84 attempts while adding a 40-yard catch. Last season, when Guerendo was a sideline ornament, the 49ers had one run longer than 26 yards on 481 attempts.
It's worth noting history isn't in Guerendo's favor. The 49ers' other recent mid-round picks they used on running backs, Ty Davis-Price (2022) and Trey Sermon (2021), were cut before they finished two full seasons.
This article originally published at 49ers mailbag: How can they catch Seahawks, Rams? How to help Nick Bosa?.
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