{"id":825104,"date":"2026-03-21T13:21:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/825104\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T13:21:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:21:30","slug":"sf-might-land-national-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/825104\/","title":{"rendered":"SF might land national champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 49ers did a solid job improving their defensive line and wide receiver rooms in free agency.<\/p>\n

That allows them to approach the draft with a wide-open mindset, where the best player available at multiple positions will dictate the picks they make on the first two days.<\/p>\n

\"FormerIndiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. could fall to the 49ers in the first round. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s in the first round or the third, they can be patient and selective and play the board to the best of their ability.<\/p>\n

That means they don\u2019t need to be urgent at any one particular position, which is always a great place to be.<\/p>\n

Here is how we see the first three rounds playing out for the 49ers:<\/p>\n

First round, No. 27<\/p>\n

Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana<\/p>\n

The 49ers could look to beef up their offensive line here. They need a long-range replacement for left tackle Trent Williams and could use help on the right side as well. But short of one of the upper-echelon prospects falling to them, they can likely wait until later in the draft to find someone of equivalent talent to whom they would pick up at No. 27.<\/p>\n

Defensive line and creating more pass rush could also be a focus here. But the 49ers\u2019 trade for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa<\/a> helped that area.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, while they added veteran wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, those are short-term solutions for a long-term need.<\/p>\n

Peeking ahead, the 49ers need more weapons. And Cooper Jr. represents the potential for high-end production in several ways. He\u2019s the perfect piece for a Kyle Shanahan offense and will likely pop on Day 1.<\/p>\n

The former Indiana star is one of the fastest climbers in the draft, so there\u2019s a chance he won\u2019t even be available when the 49ers execute their first pick.<\/p>\n

But if he is, they\u2019ll jump at the chance to reel him in.<\/p>\n

\"LSULSU\u2019s AJ Haulcy registered eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups during his last two seasons. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Second round, No. 58<\/p>\n

AJ Haulcy, S, LSU<\/p>\n

If the 49ers decide to pursue an offensive lineman at this point in the draft, Kansas\u2019 Sam Hecht, Boise State\u2019s Kage Casey and Iowa\u2019s Gennings Dunker could all be options.<\/p>\n

If the focus is the defensive line, keep an eye on Texas A&M\u2019s Cashius Howell, Central Florida\u2019s Malachi Lawrence, Oklahoma\u2019s Mason Thomas and Penn State\u2019s Dani Dennis-Sutton.<\/p>\n

If they don\u2019t draft a wide receiver in the first round, they could look at Clemson\u2019s Antonio Williams, Notre Dame\u2019s Malachi Fields, Georgia\u2019s Zachariah Branch or Oklahoma\u2019s Deion Burks.<\/p>\n

That said, with Cooper Jr. already in the fold, the 49ers understand the help they need in the secondary, with the focus being competition and depth in the cornerback room and upgrading at safety.<\/p>\n

Haulcy\u2019s nickname is Mr. Give Me That, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about a tough, physical, feisty prospect whose play style fits in any era.<\/p>\n

Over the last two years, he registered eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups, a clear indication of his processing intelligence and ball-hawking skills.<\/p>\n

He also projects as a Day 1 starter, which represents great value for this stage of the draft.<\/p>\n

Third round, no selection<\/p>\n

The 49ers originally held the No. 92 pick, but they traded it to the Cowboys for Odighizuwa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 49ers did a solid job improving their defensive line and wide receiver rooms in free agency. That…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[1443,7,6,15,252,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-825104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-nfl-draft","12":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","13":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116267378549145220","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}