We may have jumped the shark when it comes to talking about reaches in the NFL Draft. For the 12th year in a row, the Raiders, Browns, and Giants “won” the draft. Perhaps 2026 is the year those drafts come to fruition in the win column. We shall see.
When you watch the San Francisco 49ers offense last year, big plays were difficult to come by. The 49ers combined for 23 completions of 20+ yards last season. That is good for one more than the No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward. Christian McCaffrey didn’t have a carry of 20+ yards until late in the year.
The 49ers had to earn every yard last season. They couldn’t throw a screen to Deebo Samuel or design a route for Brandon Aiyuk and count on an explosive play. McCaffrey is fair if he wanted to point to some of the blocking. The 49ers were near the bottom of the league in yards before contact. But McCaffrey’s speed was also at an all-time low.
So what do the 49ers do in the 2026 NFL Draft? Go out and add a bunch of athletes. According to RAS, the Niners drafted the fifth-most athletic class.
The 49ers ranked 5 of 32 for Average #RAS of their 2026 draft class with a 9.14 average for their 8 players who had a score. pic.twitter.com/tFpp3bEGOT
As you can see, everybody but Carver Willis was a plus athlete.
Bryce Huff’s get-off time was the only one of the defensive linemen on the roster that was above average last season. Replacing him with a player who ran and jumped as well as Romello Height did is as close to a one-for-one swap as it gets, especially for the 70th overall pick. One of Height’s athletic comparisons is another former Raheem Morris draft pick: Byron Young of the Rams.
Pure speed isn’t always indicative of being able to get off the ball as fast as others. Take Young, for example. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash with a broad jump in the 98th percentile. His average get-off times in three seasons have been 0.88, 0.92, and 1.00 last season. Compare that to Nick Bosa, who did not run a 4.4. Bosa has video-game-like numbers off the ball. Bosa’s slowest time was 0.85 in 2020. He’s been 0.78 or faster in every season since 2022, reaching as low as 0.70 in 2024.
Black might end up returning kicks for the 49ers. His style of running is reminiscent of the way Kyle Shanahan spoke about Skyy Moore hitting the hole with no fear last year. Despite splitting the backfield, Black finished 16th in college football last season with the most runs of at least 15 yards. That’s good for fourth in the class. If you give Black a runway, like on a kickoff return, he should be able to do some damage.
It’s also a way to help flip the field position. As long as Christian McCaffrey is healthy, it’s something the 49ers should consider. The average athletic testing for a running back is a 4.58 40, a 34.3″ vertical, and a broad jump of 9-foot-8 inches. black ran a 4.45, jumped 37.5 in the vertical with a 10-foot-5 inch broad jump. That’ll play.
Halton, who was in the 80s on the consensus big board, is the hyper athletic, undersized defensive tackle the 49ers have used in recent years. Think a super-charged version of Kevin Givens, or Javon Hargrave, at 90 percent of the cost without the same expectations.
Skill positions weren’t the only area the Niners lacked speed last season. Robert Saleh couldn’t run the games up front that he wanted because the defensive tackles couldn’t cover ground. In fairness, that was supposed to be Mykel Williams, but an injury prevented him from playing in the second half. So when you’re down to a pair of rookie run stuffers and two veterans who were also known for their work against the run, it’s no surprise that the Niners couldn’t threaten the pocket and get after the quarterback.
Halton’s broad, vertical, and 40 were all in the 90th percentiles. Coincidentally enough, Hargrave is one of his athletic comps.
On Day 3, you’re hoping those prospects make the roster for special teams reasons, and, in an ideal world, work their way up as contributors on either side of the ball. Prysock and Dugger are long and fast. Prysock likely takes Darrell Luter’s spot after this season once his contract expires. The same is true for Prysock and Luke Gifford. If neither makes the roster, the practice squad feels like the likeliest destination.
The best athlete might’ve been the last pick the 49ers made. Cruz’s 40 time and jumps were in the 95th percentile or better. That’s how you end up with comparisons to Trent Williams and Joe Thomas. Of course, the Niners aren’t expecting Cruz to turn into a future Hall of Famer. But if he can turn into what Jaylon Moore gave the team, it’d be a win.