The 49ers are staring at a stretch that will decide a lot more than one season. Between the mid-November trade deadline and the 2027 draft, which opens April 29 in Washington, D.C., they have a chance to add real difference-makers. They also have to avoid the kind of safe, ordinary decisions that leave a roster stuck in the middle.
That’s the heart of this moment for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. The Niners have a rookie class that stands as their best since 2019, and it’s arriving while the veterans who have driven this team are moving into their sunset years. The roster still has enough talent to contend over the next few seasons, but the next 24 weeks will say plenty about whether they lean into that window or miss it.
The trade deadline is the first major test. Lynch usually shops like a bargain hunter, but this is not the time for thrift-store thinking.
The Niners need an impact starter, not a nice piece. Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux is expected to be available, but the expectation here is that San Francisco will pass.
Other possible deadline edge options include Andrew Van Ginkel, K’Lavon Chaisson, Dorrance Armstrong, and Malcolm Koonce.
There’s another deadline path, too: safety. Jacksonville free safety Antonio Johnson could become available if the Jaguars decide they can’t afford to keep him and have already stacked young safeties.
If he’s on the block, the 49ers should be in front. The usual argument against that kind of move is that this draft is loaded at safety.
But that only matters if you’re willing to take one early, and Lynch and Shanahan have never drafted one in the first two rounds since arriving in 2017.
The deadline sits right in the middle of a game that could define the season: 49ers at Dallas on November 15. The winner, in this view, makes the playoffs as a wild card.
The loser stays home. Right now, Dallas is the pick, which would likely leave San Francisco selecting somewhere between 17 and 18 in the draft.
That range, 17-22, is where the Niners would be operating.
And this is a draft worth caring about. The buzz is real, and the last time the class looked this strong was 2018.
The warning sign is there, too: the Niners can’t repeat the mistake of taking Mike McGlinchey ahead of four All-Pros and an MVP. This needs to be a star draft.
Not a need draft. Not a “good enough” draft.
At edge, the best fit mentioned is Alabama’s Yhonzae Pierre, listed at 6-3 and 244 pounds with 45 pressures, nine sacks and three forced fumbles. But he’s unlikely to be there at 17, and Dylan Stewart and Colin Simmons are projected to be long gone. That’s part of why the deadline edge move matters so much.
At defensive tackle, Will Echoles of Ole Miss is the name tied to the 17th pick in Dane Brugler’s recent Top-50 projection for The Athletic. Echoles had five sacks last year, measures 6-3 and 315, and posted 68 tackles.
The board doesn’t help much at corner, where the two elite defensive backs are already off the board and the better play is to wait until the second round. At safety, Tae Johnson stands out at 6-2 and 200 with length, range and four interceptions, but the idea of the 49ers taking a safety early is treated as fantasy. That kind of positional reluctance is exactly how a team ends up with the league’s worst safety room.
Running back is where the draft philosophy gets sharpened. Christian McCaffrey once fit the “great” category, but not anymore, and Kaelon Black is described as good, not great.
Shanahan’s offense, the thinking goes, works best with a great back in his prime. Kewan Lacy may be there, and he’s the back singled out as the one to take if the Niners want to chase true difference-making talent.
Tight end brings Jamari Johnson, a 6-4, 245-pound two-way playmaker. The Niners have a thing for Ducks, but the real question is whether he’s a star.
On the offensive line, Kade Pieper is the center to watch. He’s 6-4 and 298, and Shanahan is said to value offensive linemen by their 20-yard shuttle time.
The word here is that Pieper could even threaten Jason Kelce’s Combine record, which could make a trade down possible. At tackle, Trevor Goosby, Trevor Lauck and LSU’s Jordan Seaton are all in the mix, but likely gone by the time San Francisco is on the clock.
The conclusion is simple: boldness or caution. The bold path means a deadline edge upgrade, possibly Thibodeaux or another edge the Niners love, plus Antonio Johnson at safety, then Kewan Lacy in the draft.
The safer route means a value edge at the deadline, no Johnson, and a reach at tackle. The argument here is to choose the first version.
That same “go get it” logic carries into the season outlook. The Niners are expected to be bringing in half a roster that won’t be in game shape.
If Nick Bosa plays, he won’t be fully himself yet, and that could give Matthew Stafford all the time he needs to work over the San Francisco secondary. The game could get messy in the second half, and turnovers could keep it close, but the Rams are still the pick to win.
The Rams are also projected as the NFC’s No. 1 seed at 14-3, after sweeping Seattle, and the pick is for them to ride that momentum all the way to the Super Bowl, where they beat Denver at SoFi for another ring.
This is also the final column for Grant Cohn and SI Online. Thanks were offered to Grant for believing from day one, to readers for following along, and to The Coach and Ashley Aireonna, described as 49er streaming partners for years and friends for a lifetime. The closing note is that social media is being left behind for now in order to focus on health, finding career work, and writing a novel.
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