The San Francisco 49ers bounced back from a 6-11 season in 2024 to go 12-5 in 2025. It marked the third time in four years that Kyle Shanahan’s squad had posted at least 12 wins and the fourth time in five years it had won at least one playoff game.

However, the 49ers saw their season end in unceremonious fashion. The eventual Super Bowl 60 champion Seattle Seahawks smashed them 41-6 in a divisional-round playoff game that highlighted some of San Francisco’s key weaknesses.

Still, that the 49ers were able to log a six-win improvement was impressive considering they played in the difficult NFC West and that starting quarterback Brock Purdy was limited to nine regular-season games by a turf toe injury. Mac Jones comported himself well when Purdy was dealing with injury, while Shanahan schemed up a quality offense despite consistently being undermanned at receiver.

2026 NFL DRAFT: The biggest remaining need for all 32 NFL teams

With that in mind, the 49ers could once again emerge as a Super Bowl contender if they can improve their roster during the 2026 NFL Draft. San Francisco will naturally get better from the return of Nick Bosa, but improving its pass rushing should be one of the top priorities for John Lynch and the front office.

Here’s everything to know about the 49ers’ picks, needs and outlook for the 2026 NFL Draft:

49ers 2026 NFL Draft picks

The 49ers have six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s the complete list:

• Round 1, Pick 27
• Round 2, Pick 58
• Round 4, Pick 127
• Round 4, Pick 133
• Round 4, Pick 138
• Round 4, Pick 139

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49ers NFL draft grades

This section will be updated after the 49ers make their first selection.

49ers 2026 NFL Draft needs

Offensive line

The 49ers could use an upgrade at left guard but also need to think about finding a successor for Trent Williams, who turns 38 in July. Players like Max Iheanachor, Blake Miller and Caleb Lomu could all make sense as developmental tackle options that could also begin their careers at guard.

Edge rusher

San Francisco posted the second-worst pressure rate in the league last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The 49ers should improve in that area with Nick Bosa and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams returning from season-ending injuries, but fortifying the pass rushing rotation needs to be a priority for John Lynch.

Wide receiver

Mike Evans and Christian Kirk signed with the 49ers in free agency, but the team could stand to add young depth to its rotation behind the 32- and 29-year-old veterans. Using one of the team’s many mid-round selections on a pass-catching understudy to partner with Ricky Pearsall long-term would be wise.

49ers 2026 NFL mock draft

Here’s what the 49ers could do come draft night, per Ayrton Ostly’s seven-round mock draft:

• Round 1, Pick 27: OT Caleb Lomu, Utah
  • San Francisco hasn’t selected an offensive lineman in the first round since Mike McGlinchey in 2018. It may be time to do so. The 49ers have some questions at left tackle with Trent Williams’ future in doubt. Even if he’s back, the team could use more from its left guard after losing Spencer Burford in free agency. Lomu is a young prospect and could start at guard immediately before moving to left tackle – where he played for Utah – in time. His athleticism and anchor in pass protection give him a solid floor to work with in the NFL.
• Round 2, Pick 62*: Edge Malachi Lawrence, UCF
  • Nick Bosa should be back healthy in 2026, and the team got a pass-rush boost with Osa Odighizuwa arriving via trade. But the team could use more pass rushers to fill out the edge room, especially with 2025 first-rounder Mykel Williams having more of an impact as a run defender early on. Lawrence is full of tools with prototypical size and elite burst off the line. He’s more of a projection at this point but could develop well under Kris Kocurek.
• Round 4, Pick 116**: WR Deion Burks, Oklahoma
• Round 4, Pick 133: S VJ Payne, Kansas State
• Round 4, Pick 138: CB Hezekiah Masses, Cal
• Round 4, Pick 139: Edge George Gumbs Jr., Florida
• Round 5, Pick 170*: LB Justin Jefferson, Alabama

* Projected trade with Denver Broncos.

** Projected trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — California is opening three new state parks and expanding others. The move is the largest growth of the state parks system in decades.

One new park is along the Feather River in Yuba County, another along the San Joaquin River near Fresno, and the third at a historic labor camp outside Bakersfield.

The state is also adding about 30,000 acres — a space about the size of San Francisco — to other parks.

A new park will also be added near Pigeon Point in San Mateo County.

MORE: Alcatraz Island closed through Friday for dock repairs; tours, cruises refunded

It’s all part of “State Parks Forward,” and the governor said California is pushing to protect and preserve state parks for future generations.

“For me, surfing is a chance to connect with the ocean and the marine wilderness out there,” said Nick Strong-Cvetich, Executive Director of Save the Waves. He is elated by the new announcement.

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park in San Mateo County will triple in size.

The Peninsula Open Space Trust, aka POST is donating 132 acres of land to the park.

“It’s a really important announcement and we’re thrilled,” said Strong-Cvetich. “It gives a gift to future generations. And for us it opens the access so people can experience the ocean.”

MORE: What travelers should know about visits to national parks in 2026

Pigeon Point Park is one of several state parks expanding thanks to new state legislation. The new law adds 30,000 acres to existing state parks.

“Thanks to state parks new fast track process, POST was able to quickly donate this $5 million property to state parks for the management in perpetuity,” said Ezekiel Schlais, Peninsula Open Space Trust. “I know there are hundreds of thousands of people who visit this coastline every year and having access to additional bluff and coastal trails. And eventually having a California coastal trail is going to be an amazing benefit.”

Governor Gavin Newsom explained the importance of preserving and expanding parks in the Golden State.

“We are celebrating our history, celebrating culture, celebrating our diversity, celebrating a sense of space,” said Governor Newsom.

Newsom also said, “doubling down on protecting the Golden State’s natural beauty as Trump sells out on America’s national parks.”

A 13-page assessment released today by the San Francisco Department of Public Health confirms Mission Local reporting last month that protocol failures contributed to a social worker’s fatal stabbing in December, and that hospital workers, not a sheriff’s deputy, were first to intervene in the attack. 

The DPH has hired four additional staff members to its security team to ensure around the clock threat management coverage, and committed an additional $15 million a year to “support a fundamentally strengthened and modernized approach to safety and security” across its facilities. 

After a period of increasingly threatening behavior toward his doctor at General Hospital’s Ward 86 HIV clinic, Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 35, arrived on Dec. 4 and was intercepted by his social worker, Alberto Rangel. He stabbed Rangel, 51, to death in the hallway. 

According to today’s report, the DPH immediately took action: installing a weapons detection system at Buildings 80-90 where the attack occurred, launching a 24/7 threat management team to triage and respond to concerns and establishing a formal threat escalation protocol which “balances safety measures with trauma-informed, patient-centered approaches.”  

The report also identified a need for better processes to respond to emergencies that occur within the DPH system. Although Rangel was stabbed at Ward 86, a clinic on the grounds of San Francisco General Hospital, and witnesses on the scene called 911 immediately, EMS workers did not arrive to take over Rangel’s care until 11 minutes after his stabbing. A full 26 minutes elapsed between the 911 call and Rangel’s arrival in the emergency room, only a block away. 

Today’s report also confirmed Mission Local reporting that a Ward 86 employee first intervened in the attack on Dec. 4 — a direct contradiction to claims from the sheriff’s union that a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the site had “saved Ward 86 from a rapid mass casualty stabbing.” 

The deputy had been assigned to the area that day after Tortolero Arriechi had made threats against his doctor, who worked there. According to today’s report, the doctor was in a different hallway at the time of the stabbing. 

Hospital staff had repeatedly raised alarm bells with DPH security specifically about Tortolero Arriechi’s threatening behavior, but today’s assessment confirmed that no additional safety measures were taken until the day of the incident. 

Mission Local reported that Tortolero Arriechi posted increasingly erratic messages on his social media in the weeks leading up to the stabbing, including a photo of his doctor’s note pinned to a wall with a knife. 

The DPH assessment includes a timeline, which shows that Tortolero Arriechi had to be escorted out of City Clinic in SoMa as early as Nov. 13 after he appeared seeking out his Ward 86 doctor, who also worked there. 

A week later, on Nov. 20 and 21, Tortolero Arriechi exhibited “elevated behaviors” at an appointment with the doctor, who reported his behavior to DPH security. The next week, between Nov. 24 and 26, security “attempted multiple times” to reach Tortolero Arriechi by phone, with no success. Security leadership at General Hospital “discussed” the case, but apparently took no further action. 

On Dec. 4, the morning of the stabbing, Tortolero Arriechi went to both the City Clinic and Ward 86. 

The doctor again reported to security that Tortolero Arriechi was seeking him out at City Clinic, and that Tortolero Arriechi had allegedly insisted that he would return daily until he could see the doctor. According to the report, DPH security then assigned a “safety ambassador” to the clinic. 

That same morning at Ward 86, staff contacted DPH head of security, Basil Price, and informed him that Tortolero Arriechi had once again shown up at the clinic looking for the doctor, and told them that he would be returning that afternoon. 

The DPH requested a “criminal history check” by the sheriff’s department that day, which surfaced no warrants for Tortolero Arriechi. After a sheriff’s lieutenant conducted a “threat assessment” on the situation, the sheriff’s department assigned a deputy to be “posted at Ward 86.” Staff at Ward 86 interviewed by Mission Local were under the impression that the deputy was keeping an eye out for Tortolero Arriechi, but the DPH report confirms the sheriff’s department’s assertion that the deputy was directed only to station near the specific physician that Tortolero Arriechi had threatened. 

Later in the afternoon of Dec. 4, 2025, Tortolero Arriechi again went to Ward 86 looking for the doctor, where he was directed to speak with his social worker, Rangel. Moments later, Tortolero Arriechi stabbed Rangel, who later died despite efforts by his colleagues to resuscitate him. 

Tortolero Arriechi is currently facing murder charges, and his public defender has said that he was suffering a mental health crisis. 

“No actions can undo the events of December 4, 2025,” the report said. “However, through an expertly informed re-evaluation of our current safety and security measures, we can ensure an improved approach to workplace safety and security going forward.” 

Ward 86 employee Alex Alvarez said he was frustrated at the lack of funding for mental health care and support for traumatized employees who have not yet returned to work. 

Due to the lack of protocols in place, he said, “we have to create this whole ecosystem of services, of safety protocols … why do the employees have to pay for this? Why do employees have to take the brunt of this lack of action?”