Niners Land Undrafted Gem: James Thompson Jr.

0:00On April 27th, the San Francisco 49ers pulled off a smart move after the 2026 NFL draft by signing undrafted free agent James. Thompson Jr., a defensive tackle from Illinois. Many scouts figured he'd give picked in the 7 rounds, but he slipped through landing right in San Francisco's lap amid their depth crunch on the interior line. Post-straft, the Niners moved fast to grab him, seeing his skills as a perfect puzzle piece for Coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch's game. Thompson's got that versatile profile they love, with real athletic pop, despite being a bit older as a prospect. Fans and analysts are buzzing about his college path. He started as a three-star recruit at Wisconsin, grinding to five seasons there before, transferring to Illinois for his six-year. That final campaign earned him all Big Ten honorable mention from coaches and media alike. At Illinois, he started all 13 games, piling up 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, two

1:00sacks, and a couple quarterback hurries. Over his Wisconsin days, he added 59 tackles, 12 for loss, and five sacks total, showing steady growth even after a 2024. Injuring, this could turn into a massive value play in a weak draft class, giving the Niners immediate rotation help and upside to develop, keeping there, defense humming strong. Today locked in with NFL news today, AI-powered updates, I'm Corey with the story.