Feb. 18, 2026, 6:45 a.m. PT
The San Francisco 49ers had far from the best defensive front throughout their 2025 campaign, as they sacked opposing quarterbacks less than any other team in the league and gave up over 110 yards per game on the ground.
With that, many believe the 49ers could target a defensive lineman in free agency or early in the draft, including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who projected San Francisco will take Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter in his newest 2026 mock draft.
“Hunter can hold the point against the run and he showed flashes of his upside as a pass rusher at the Senior Bowl,” Jeremiah wrote. “Recent Super Bowl winners have featured waves of defensive linemen they can rotate. Hunter joins 2025 draft picks Alfred Collins and CJ West to form a talented young trio on the interior.”
Hunter, 23, was a four-star recruit out of Mattie T. Blount High School in Eight Mile, Alabama before committing to play at Auburn. He redshirted in his one year at Auburn and transferred to UCF for three seasons before finishing with a one-year stop at Texas Tech.
In his collegiate career, Hunter appeared in 52 games and recorded 172 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defensed. He earned Second-team All-Big 12 honors in his final year at UCF and earned both First-team All-Big 12 and First-team All-American honors in lone year with the Red Raiders.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
San Francisco is set to lose Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens in free agency, and Kalia Davis will be a restricted free agent. Having Hunter, Collins, Davis and West in the middle could be a respectable group in 2026 and beyond.
More 49ers: Why Christian McCaffrey’s huge year could be bad news for 49ers