Niners' 2026 Draft: Mid-Round Gems Shine

0:00On April 28th, the San Francisco 49ers 2026 NFL Draft Class drew heavy fire from national media for some head-scratching choices. But dig deeper and those mid-round gems shine bright. They grabbed eight players from Round 2 through 5, mixing skill position speed with trench warriors and while not perfect, several picks scream, value in Kyle Shanahan's system. Playing strong in Round 2, pick 33, they took wide-out Dijon's dribbling, a B minus grade for his explosive yards after catch and sneaky. Route savvy that fits like a glove, Round 3 brought edge-rusher Ramello height at pick 70, a C-plus with his quick first step and bag of tricks for third downs, though running. Back K-Long Black at 90 earned a D as a reach when the position wasn't screaming need. Fans and pundits piled on quick, calling it a bust before training camp even hits. But overlooked how these guys address real-depth issues on offense, and D-Line, Black might

1:01still ball out to quiet the noise, yet the real heat came from ignoring bigger holes elsewhere. Later rounds delivered the steals, like fourth-rounder Grayson Houghton at 107, an A- for his twitchy get-off that could disrupt up front. Corner Ephesians Price socket 139 and tackle Enrique Cruz Jr. in Round 5, both snagged A-grades for rare size, athleticism, and star. Upside, while Lymebacker Jaden Dugger and Lyme and Carver Willis round out developmental bets, bottom line, this class could flip the script by 2027 if the coaching staff polishes these raw talents right. Keep an eye, Niners, Nation, the proofs in the play. That's your update from NFL News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with the story.