Aiyuk Wars

(1) If Aiyuk doesn’t show up at the 49ers facility ready to participate, the team can attach a DNR (Did Not Report) designation on him for as long as he is absent. (2) That DNR tag means not only would they not have to pay him, they could FINE him in the neighborhood of $50K per day for each day he fails to report. That fine would be stripped out of any future contract Aiyuk might sign, and the money then handed over to SF. (3) If Aiyuk is tagged with a DNR, he no longer counts toward a roster spot, and the team can and will carry a full 53-man roster (or 90-man before the cut), even though Aiyuk is still under contract. The bottom line is: The only party who can dislodge the 49ers from their complete control of Aiyuk, is Aiyuk himself—and only by reporting for training camp. As long as he stays away, the 49ers can withhold all pay, bank up $50K per day against him in fines (payable when he signs somewhere else), enjoy a full roster without him, and block him from playing football anywhere else. If Aiyuk does not report, the 49ers could simply sit on him until 2029, not pay him a dime, functionally ending his NFL career. People who think Aiyuk can just hide and wait until September are woefully mistaken. And as long as Aiyuk stays away, the Commanders will be sitting at the lighthouse window, staring out to sea, waiting for the next three years for a ship that may never sail.  

The Lynch Narrative

The basis of the narrative is Lynch has been a terrible draft generator since he’s been here. Focusing on the “worst” of the 49ers draft years (including 2022 and 2023), results in an overall drop of just about 2% in rostered players drafted and developed inside the building over multiple years.

This means even eliminating their best draft years prior to 2022, the 49ers STILL sit solidly mid-pack in the NFL at a respectable 48-50% rate of draftees/UDFAs vs. trade/FA acquisitions. Drafting players, or signing post-draft UDFAs, that are not just starters, but solid depth pieces that remain on the roster 2-3 or more years later is a genuine metric for determining the value of team’s draft process. You can't evaluate draft success without considering the valuable depth players who are drafted then productive in support for years. These are guys that can make or break a team.  

Multiple year value from homegrown players is an absolute, measurable component. Arbitrary values assigned to “reaching” off a consensus board created by people outside the building making lists in a vacuum, is not.  

49ers UDFA'S

 

• WR Wesley Grimes (NC State)
• S Jalen Stroman (Notre Dame)
• DL Bryson Eason (Tennessee)
• DL Mikail Kamara (Indiana)
• TE Khalil Dinkins (Penn State)
• DT James Thompson (Illinois)
• WR Will Pauling (Notre Dame)
• P Jack Bouwmeester (Texas)
• LB Kalib Perry (Louisville - Invite)
• S Duce Chestnut (Syracuse - Invite)
• Question:
• Which UDFA(s) do you have making the 53-man roster?
• I'll go with Pauling and Stroman

Ole Miss: Back To The Well

 Greg Cosell on 49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling:

“I spoke to an offensive coach who has been in this league for 35 years and he likes Stribling more than Makai Lemon.” I'm guessing that coach was Andy Reid, what say you?

Bucky Brooks said a team in the AFC South was very interested in drafting De’Zhaun Stribling and says he wasn’t going to last far beyond pick 33 if the 49ers didn’t draft him.

What do you think, can he beat out Kirk for WR3?

Kansas: Back To The Well

 Five offensive linemen reached at least 20.3 mph during the 40-yard dash, led by Kansas tackle Enrique Cruz with a max speed of 20.69 mph. Do you think he wins the swing OT job?

Athleticism

The key theme seemed to be speed and agility in this draft. The 49ers might not have won the PR war but I'm excited to see how this translates to winning football games.  

2026 San Francisco Draft Class

Just one more thing…how we feeling about this draft class?

2nd (33): WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Miss

3rd (70): DE Romello Height, Tex Tech 3rd (90): RB Kaelon Black, Ind 4th (107): DT Gracen Halton, Okla 4th (127): OL Carver Willis, Wash 4th (139): CB Ephesians Prysock, Wash 5th (154): LB Jaden Dugger, Louisiana 5th (179) Enrique Cruz Jr. OT Kansas