The most notable act by the San Francisco 49ers on the first night of the NFL Draft was general manager John Lynch cracking a smile at the Los Angeles Rams’ selection of quarterback Ty Simpson. The 49ers traded out of the first round.
San Francisco opened day two of the draft with the first pick. It was downhill from there.
Lynch’s smile or laugh was reminiscent of Sean McVay dunking on the Patriots during a press conference for taking Cole Strange in the first round in 2022. The Rams’ first pick that year was a guard of their own in Logan Bruss, who quickly found his way out of the NFL.
In other words, karma.
49ers fans and media personalities are melting down over Lynch’s draft decisions on Friday. San Francisco opened the second round by choosing De’Zhaun Stribling, a receiver many expected to be available into the third round. Their first of two third round selections was spent on EDGE Romello Height who two significant surgeries across four different colleges in six seasons. Their third pick was running back Kaelon Black. Kyle Shanahan made good on his annual tradition of taking a running back, although Black was generally considered a fifth to sixth round talent at best.
The draft so far has been strange for the NFC West division overall.
The Cardinals started off the weirdness by picking Jeremiyah Love with the third overall selection despite several key needs across their roster. Arizona seemed unprepared for the Rams to take Ty Simpson and drafted Carson Beck in the third round.
While Los Angeles may get the last laugh, the general consensus has been tough on their selection of Simpson. Fans also did not expect the Rams to take another tight end in the second round. Fan reactions to their class through three rounds have not been positive.
And the Seahawks are also contributing to the oddity. They also picked a Notre Dame running back, Jadarian Price, in the first round. This seems like a move driven by need rather than value, as Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left in free agency and Zach Charbonnet is unlikely to contribute much in 2026. Seattle’s next two picks are reinforcements on the secondary, which is another position that saw its depth deteriorated by free agency.
It’s difficult to see any of the teams in the division make significant strides in 2026 through their approach in the draft. At least the Rams were active earlier in the offseason and retooled their secondary.
The NFC West race should again be closely contested and up for grabs.