The 49ers are heading toward 2026 with plenty of pressure on the usual names, but the bigger story might be what happens with a handful of recent draft picks. Some have flashed enough to keep hope alive. Others are running out of runway fast.
Ricky Pearsall sits at the center of that conversation. A first-round pick, he still hasn’t come close to fully justifying that investment, even if the talent has shown up in bursts.
Early last season, he had moments that hinted at what he could become, and the upside is obvious enough to project him as a bona fide No. 2 receiver. The problem is staying on the field.
Last year’s PCL injury was a tough one, and he had to play through it. If he can’t finally get some injury luck, the 49ers won’t pick up his fifth-year option.
Jacob Cowing is in an even shakier spot. There’s not much room left for him with so many receivers ahead of him, and the sense around him is bleak.
The injuries haven’t helped, either, with his hamstring becoming the main issue. If he’s going to force his way into the picture, he has to show up healthy and make immediate noise in training camp and the preseason.
Otherwise, his future in the league starts looking uncertain, and he may be cut after the preseason.
Safety Ji’Ayir Brown also enters the season with a lot to prove. He was clearly excited when the 49ers hired Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, and the hope is obvious: Morris has a track record with defensive backs, so Brown seems to believe this can be the year he takes off.
That said, confidence and production are two different things. If he doesn’t take a real step forward, the most likely outcome is more of the same - and that leaves him in a precarious position with his career hanging in the balance.
Cornerback Renardo Green is in a different kind of pressure cooker. The 49ers have added players at his position, and that sends a pretty clear message: his starting job is not guaranteed.
The team seems to want real competition there, hoping it pushes Green toward the level they think he can reach. He has a chance to respond and get back on track toward becoming an excellent player, but he has to answer that challenge.
If he doesn’t, he could lose both his starting role and, eventually, his roster spot.
Then there’s linebacker Nick Martin, whose situation looks especially strange on the surface because the 49ers used a third-round pick on him just a year ago. But that selection came under Robert Saleh, who is now with the Tennessee Titans.
Martin barely saw the field last season, which says plenty about where he stood with the coaching staff. His season also ended because of a longstanding concussion, and with Dre Greenlaw and Jaden Dugger added, he appears to be getting pushed further down the board.
A trade candidate this year would not be a surprise.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Linked To A Brandon Aiyuk Trade With QB Stakes
Brandon Aiyuks situation has only grown murkier for the 49ers, with the receiver not having played since October 2024 and his status around the roster increasingly difficult to ignore. Once viewed as part of the long-term offensive core, he now sits at the center of a conversation that has less to do with production and more to do with whether San Francisco can still count on the relationship at all.
Into that uncertainty comes the kind of speculative trade chatter that tends to follow a disgruntled star, and it comes with quarterback implications attached. Any move built around Aiyuk would force the 49ers to think beyond the receiver room and into their broader quarterback plan, especially with Mac Jones future in San Francisco already pointing toward a short stay and a possible eventual hunt for a starting job elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Safety Battle Already Has One Newcomer On Shaky Ground
The 49ers added Patrick McMorris in late April, giving the safety room another name to sort through as camp approaches, but his path looks narrow from the start. McMorris spent part of 2024 in Miami, where he appeared in six games before moving on to the practice squad circuit, and he arrives in San Francisco with the kind of profile that usually needs a strong summer to stand out.
Instead, the early read is that he has work to do just to stay in the conversation. Questions about his tackling, range and burst have made him a longshot for a regular-season spot, which leaves him fighting for a place in a crowded room that already has more established and higher-upside options. For now, the more realistic outcome appears to be another practice squad stint, unless he can change that evaluation before the 49ers have to trim the roster. [Read more 🡒]
One Under-the-Radar 49ers Addition Could Finally Settle Left Guard
The 49ers spent much of the offseason looking for reliable answers along an offensive line that has been in flux, and the left guard spot is still one of the cleaner training camp battles to watch. Chris Foerster has kept that competition open, with Robert Jones and Bret Toth among the names in the mix, while Toths value may stretch beyond one position since he is also expected to handle backup center duties no matter where he lines up.
For a team trying to make Brock Purdys life easier and keep the offense balanced around its established playmakers, that kind of stability matters as much as flashier additions on either side of the ball. Jones, in particular, has drawn attention as a low-profile pickup with the kind of experience and efficiency that can quietly settle a spot the 49ers have not fully locked down yet, even if the final call is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]