SANTA CLARA — Gracen Halton is a self-proclaimed underdog.
The 49ers’ fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area for the “Meet the Rookies” series to share his mental approach to his football career.
“I’ve always been an underdog,” Halton said. “Whether it’s my height or all the stuff they say, but at the end of the day this is football. You got to put your head on somebody’s chin, and if you do that, then you are going to make some plays and do what you do.
“My saying is, ‘Underdogs prevail.’ So that’s my mindset.”
As the Oklahoma product begins his NFL career, it might not seem like Halton has faced adversity. But at the beginning of his college journey, things did not go smoothly. The athletic defensive end that previously had played quarterback, running back and tight end was asked to move inside to defensive tackle.
It wasn’t a quick transition for Halton, who had thought his path to the NFL would be as a pass rusher.
“You go into being a senior in high school and you want to play right away,” Halton said. “For me, it was a different place where I had to move from defensive end to where I’m now talking to a defensive tackle coach.
“It’s a whole different technique, you got to make different plays in certain areas, but my mindset was overcome adversity, keep on going, put horse blinders on. Once I get my shot, I’m going to make the most out of it. Once sophomore season ended and that junior year came around, oh, yeah, it was over from there.”
Halton was persistent and went from seven solo tackles over his first two seasons to 16 in his junior season and 33 total (11 solo) in his senior campaign. The 6-foot-2, 292-pound lineman also recorded his 8.5 collegiate quarterback sacks over his final two seasons in the Big Ten.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has already taken note of the 49ers rookie’s energy and intensity in his first practice back after being sidelined with a knee bone bruise.
“I see a young man that’s really feisty,” Morris said Thursday. “The guy’s been going at a really high rate. Really going fast, really getting after it. He got out there today and really wanted to be a part of it the last couple of days, so it’s been fun to watch him get back.”
Maybe most of all, Halton wants the 49ers Faithful to know that his work has just begun. The defender is ready to put his head down and show the NFL world what he is capable of.
“They are getting a dog,” Halton said. “A dog that can play football, that has a chip on his shoulder —an underdog that’s going to prevail.”
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