I do not even know how to start this one without sounding a little conflicted because at the same time I am excited about what is coming for the Niners. There is also that weird feeling in the gut like something big is about to shape the future of this team and not all of it feels safe. We have two situations unfolding right now that honestly say a lot about where the 49ers are heading in 2026.
One of them is already starting to divide the fan base especially looking ahead to the draft >> >> and the other one hits way deeper. It is the kind of decision that could completely identity of this defense. And the craziest part is both of these things are connected to how this team is being built right now.
The front office is clearly thinking ahead >> >> maybe even making moves we will not fully understand until later but there are risks here real risks. I am telling you what is happening right now could define whether this team stays a contender or start slipping. So before we break all of that down real quick if you are a real Niners fan go ahead and hit that like subscribe to the channel especially if you truly believe this team is going to the Super Bowl next year.
This channel is new but it is for the faithful who live and breathe this team. All right so let us get into this first situation because this one is already giving me mixed feelings as a fan. We are talking about the 49ers sitting there with the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft and yeah there are a lot of directions they could go but there are three specific names being floated around that honestly I really do not want to see in a Niners uniform at that spot.
First one Peter Woods defensive lineman out of Clemson. And look a few months ago this actually made some sense but then the team goes out and adds Osa Odighizuwa and suddenly this starts to feel like overkill. Not just that Woods did not exactly help himself in the pre-draft process. His junior season did not live up to what he showed before and then at the combine short arms did not test as explosively as people expected.
Now you are talking about spending a first round pick on a guy who might not even be worth that slot at a position that is not a major need right now. That is where it starts to feel like a reach and a risky one. Then there is Caleb Lomu left tackle from Utah. This one is tricky because I get the idea you are thinking long-term maybe the future at left tackle.
But here is the problem you are probably drafting a guy who will not even play in year one and even when he does there are serious questions. He needs to get stronger he is not a great run blocker yet and for a team like the 49ers that relies heavily on the run game that is a big deal. So what are we doing here waiting a full year maybe more for a guy who might not even reach that high ceiling.
And if you are going to draft a project he better have elite traits you cannot teach. That is the concern Lomu is missing too much of that. There is even talk he might be better at guard but even there the upside does not jump off the screen. Meanwhile you have someone like Caeden Proctor out of Alabama who honestly looks like he has more potential more physical upside and might even give you better flexibility between guard and tackle.
So if you are the Niners can you really afford to take that kind of long-term gamble with a first round pick especially for a team that still sees itself as a contender right now. And then the third name Keldrick Faulk edge rusher from Auburn and this one might be the most frustrating of all because again it is not about the player being bad it is about the fit.
Faulk is big powerful great against the run and he is going to get drafted high because of that. But the issue is he is basically the Auburn version of Michael Williams same type of player same style and that is exactly the problem. The 49ers do not need more of the same on the edge. >> >> If anything they need speed explosiveness someone who complements what they already have not just duplicates it.
Because if your entire defensive front starts looking the same playing the same way offenses are going to figure that out real quick. And yeah Faulk has upside as a pass rusher but he has not shown enough yet. You are betting on projection again. So when you step back and look at all three of these guys Peter Woods Caleb Lomu Keldrick Faulk it really comes down to one thing risk.
Too much projection not enough immediate impact and for a team like the 49ers that is dangerous. This roster is not rebuilding it is trying to win now and that is why this decision at pick 27 feels bigger than people think because one wrong move here and you are not just missing on a player you are wasting a real opportunity to keep this team at the top.
But here is where things start to get even more serious because while we are talking about building the future through the draft there is something else going on behind the scenes with this roster. Something involving one of the biggest names on this team that could completely flip everything we just talked about. And honestly this next situation is way heavier than a draft pick.
Now this second situation yeah this one hits different because we are talking about Nick Bosa and I’m going to be real with you just hearing his name in this kind of conversation already feels wrong. This is the guy who has been the heart of our pass rush the face of the defense the dude who won defensive player of the year back in 2022 with 18 and a half sacks.
But now there is a real conversation starting and it is uncomfortable. Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report pointed to Nick Bosa as the most overpaid player on the 49ers roster right now. And yeah first reaction is no way especially when you remember what this defense looked like without him last season.
He only played three games in 2025 because of that ACL tear his second one since coming into the league back in 2019 and without him the pass rush completely collapsed. 20 sacks dead last in the league that alone tells you how important he is. But at the same time when you really look at the numbers since he got paid that massive five-year $170 million contract after his 2022 season the production has not matched that level.
In 2023 he had 10 and a half sacks in 2024 nine sacks. Solid numbers but not elite. Not for a guy who is the seventh highest paid defensive player in football and that is where things start to get complicated because 2026 his cap hit is actually fine around $22.99 million. That is manageable that is not the issue.
The real problem is 2027 that number jumps to $54.87 million and here is the key detail less than 800,000 of that is guaranteed. >> >> So now the front office is looking at this situation like what are we really getting here because if Bosa comes back from this injury and plays like a top 10 defensive lineman again no problem you keep him you ride it out.
But if he does not if he looks like a guy past his peak especially considering he will be turning 30 years old in 2027 then this becomes a business decision and not a small one. If the 49ers decide to move on from him with a post June 1st designation in 2027 they would take about $22.46 million in dead money but they would also save $32.
