Jan. 18, 2026, 7:45 p.m. PT

The San Francisco 49ers officially have their place in the 2026 NFL draft.

After falling in the divisional playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers cemented themselves in the 25-28 range along with the other divisional round losers − the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Chicago Bears. They’ll pick 27th following Sunday’s action.

Once playoff teams are eliminated, they slot into the draft order in the usual manner where the better record falls in behind the worse record and the earlier pick goes to the team with a worse strength of schedule in the event of a tie.

Chicago grabbed the No. 25 pick because they have 11 wins, one fewer than the other three clubs.

Since the 49ers, Bills and Texans all won 12 games, they were sorted by the strength of schedule tiebreaker. Buffalo’s strength of schedule was the worst of the group at a .471 opponent winning percentage. San Francisco was next at .498, and Houston was at .522.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

The 29th and 30th picks will be decided by the championship game losers. Then the 31st and 32nd spots go to the super bowl teams.

Here’s what the first 28 picks look like:

Las Vegas RaidersNew York JetsArizona CardinalsTennessee TitansNew York GiantsCleveland BrownsWashington CommandersNew Orleans SaintsKansas City ChiefsCincinnati BengalsMiami DolphinsDallas CowboysLos Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons)Baltimore RavensTampa Bay BuccaneersNew York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts)Detroit LionsMinnesota VikingsCarolina PanthersDallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers)Pittsburgh SteelersLos Angeles ChargersPhiladelphia EaglesCleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars)Chicago BearsBuffalo BillsSan Francisco 49ersHouston Texans

The 49ers will have some tough decisions to make in the draft with a rash of needs they could address in the first round. They may look to trade up from the 27th spot if there’s a need they want to attack earlier, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they stand pat and continue trying to stock the cupboard with talent for their future rosters.

More 49ers: Shoutout to the 2025 San Francisco 49ers, a fun team despite the ending