The San Francisco 49ers made two trades down and out of the first round Thursday night, the first of which was set up even before the 2026 NFL Draft started.
“There were a couple players that we would have taken had they been there (at No. 27),” general manager John Lynch said Thursday. “That didn’t happen.”
In their first trade, the 49ers swapped one of four fourth-round picks for a pick in Round 3 (where they entered with no picks), trading Nos. 27 and 138 to the Dolphins for Nos. 30 and 90. The sides had discussed the deal before the draft as a contingency if the Niners’ targets weren’t available.
A quick look at the draft board would suggest that a couple of players the 49ers were targeting were taken at Nos. 22, 23, 24 and 25, as pass rushers Akheem Mesidor (to the Los Angeles Chargers) and Malachi Lawrence (Dallas Cowboys), receiver/kick returner KC Concepcion (Cleveland Browns) and safety Dillon Thienemann (Chicago Bears) all seemed to fit needs really well. Lynch wouldn’t reveal the secret, but when pressed, he did say, “We like KC a lot.”
“KC came out here for a visit, and we met with him at the combine,” Lynch said. “Tremendous young man. Really has great ability with the ball in his hands. Fun player to scout, fun player to watch, fun player to be around. I think he’s gonna have a nice, nice future ahead of him.”
The second trade, with the New York Jets — San Francisco swapped pick No. 30 for Nos. 33 and 179 — happened on the fly when the 49ers realized most of the players that they were considering would be there tomorrow. At No. 33, they now have the first pick of the second round. (Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. had received comparisons to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and seemed like a great fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but the 49ers passed on him twice, as he was taken by the Jets at No. 30.)
And the 49ers might not be done moving back.
“I think the cool thing about the 33rd pick is it puts you in a really nice (place) … we can kind of reconvene and reset our board and reset our thoughts,” Lynch said. “And I think it’s also a coveted pick, as a lot of teams are doing that themselves. … We’re always open for business.”
The 49ers now have seven picks: two in the second round and one in the third on Friday, and then three fourth-rounders and a fifth on Saturday. Pass rusher Cashius Howell and receiver Denzel Boston would seem to be two players the team was considering at No. 30. The 49ers are thin on the edge, and free-agent wide receiver additions Mike Evans and Christian Kirk signed what are effectively one-year deals. The 49ers could also add an offensive lineman or safety on Friday.
Shanahan did add that he was surprised that no team made an offer for Mac Jones on Thursday. The 49ers aren’t looking to trade their backup quarterback but have been surprised all offseason that there hasn’t been a robust market for a quarterback who won five starts last season and is due to make only $3.6 million in the final year of his two-year contract.
“The fact that no one did doesn’t make me think someone’s gonna do something tomorrow, and his value’s probably already passed anyways,” Shanahan said.
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