San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanhan
While April’s NFL Draft is still well over a month away, there has been some seemingly unnecessary hate on social media thrown the San Francisco 49ers‘ way. A recent X post called out the Niners’ supposed lack of success in recent drafts, especially in the last decade.
However, insider David Lombardi came to the defense of the organization. In fact, he listed multiple draft picks from the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts that ended up making big impacts for the 12-win 49ers throughout this past season.
San Francisco 49ers Commended for Strong 2025 NFL Draft
John Lynch Brandon Aiyuk San Francisco 49ers
GettyJohn Lynch was named the 49ers’ general manager back in 2017.
Here is what Lombardi had to say regarding the impact of San Francisco’s 2025 draft class:
“The 49ers have some promising young material to work with – especially coming out of the 2025 draft. They wouldn’t have won 13 games if that wasn’t the case. The 2022 and 2023 drafts didn’t yield much outside of Purdy, but the narrative that the cupboard has remained empty since is rooted in emotion and not reality.”
-Upton Stout led all NFL CBs in pressures-Mykel Williams took on one of the highest double-team rates in the league; run defense was 20 spots better when he was available-Alfred Collins seemed to have a big impact in beating Rams, among other contributions-Ricky Pearsall has… https://t.co/BhD8WLfN7t
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 6, 2026
Lombardi listed several players in his post to show how well the 49ers’ front office responded in the 2025 NFL Draft, as well as before that in the 2024 NFL Draft. Cornerback Upton Stout, defensive lineman Mykel Williams, defensive lineman Alfred Collins, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, and offensive lineman Dominick Puni were listed as some of the team’s most impactful picks over the last two drafts.
The 49ers Seemingly Have a Bright Future Ahead
Ricky Pearsall San Francisco 49ers
GettyWide receiver Ricky Pearsall was drafted in the first round out of Florida by the 49ers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As Lombardi noted, Stout was one of the league’s more underrated cornerbacks. The rookie recorded 82 tackles and five pass deflections, along with four tackles for loss. Williams, despite playing in just nine games, provided a nice lift in run defense. Collins was a key defender at the line of scrimmage, particularly against the Los Angeles Rams.
Moving to offense, Pearsall started five more games than he did as a rookie and averaged 14.7 yards per catch as he provided the 49ers’ offense with a steady downfield threat. Finally, Puni might be the most impressive pick of them all. He has started in all 36 career games that he has played in, including playoffs. The former third-round pick out of Kansas has locked down his guard position.
To look at the production and impact of some of these players and say that this team hasn’t drafted well in recent years is a little much. While there were some frustrating draft classes over the years for San Francisco, the organization more than redeemed itself this past year.
Also, who is to say that if elite players such as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa don’t go down with injuries, perhaps this team makes it all the way to the Super Bowl? As good as the Seattle Seahawks were on their quest to win another Lombardi Trophy, when healthy, the 49ers are one of the top teams in the sport. Combined with a strong free agency period and solid draft this offseason, this team could be right back in the title conversation in 2026.