49ers ‘dining out’ on Brock Purdy pick as under pressure 2026 NFL Draft class ‘must deliver hits’

The San Francisco 49ers have been heavily criticized for their 2026 NFL Draft selections.

So much so that general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan had to defend accusations that they were reaching for players.

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The draft is a good opportunity to address the needs of the now and the future, but multiple high-end picks of the Niners in recent years haven’t worked out.

Originally slated to have six picks, the Niners ended up with eight selections across the three days, and the usual raft of undrafted free agents that followed in the days after.

Much of the criticism has come from the first three selections they made and how much value they may hold.

They took wide receiver De’Zauhn Stribling, defensive end Romello Height, and running back Kaelon Black and all three might have to pay dividends straight away.

“They need some hits out of this,” Gavin said on the latest episode of the Across The Formation Podcast.

“They need to be able to thumb their nose up at a lot of those analysts out there and I say that as somebody who believes the consensus board is a good thing.

“In the last four years, when you take their picks versus a consensus board, the highest they have come in terms of value was 27th across the league.

“Every other year they have been 30, 31 and 32 and again this year, they are right down the bottom of that list.

“You have to prove that going zigging while everyone else is zagging is the right thing to do.

“There is some pressure on this draft, but it would be harsh to grade it harshly right now because they did get good players.” 

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Hunter then asked talkSPORT’s NFL play-by-play announcer Gavin whether they were still ‘dining out’ over the Brock Purdy selection.

“I think that makes a massive difference, right? That is a huge thing for them,” he said.

“It saved a lot of jobs after Trey Lance, let’s be honest. John Lynch may not be in a job right now if they hadn’t managed to flue their way into a quarterback with the final pick in the draft.

“He was a guy they really liked, as a seventh round quarterback.

“Told you so is not an attitude you want to have when it comes to drafting.”

The 49ers selected Purdy with the final selection of the 2022 NFL Draft, also known as ‘Mr. Irrelevant’.

YouTube / talkSPORT USA

He stepped in for the injured Jimmy Garrapolo, and Trey Lance, leading San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game.

On the back of leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2023, Purdy was rewarded with a mammoth five-year, $265 million contract ahead of 2025.

He missed time last season with Turf Toe, but still has the backing from his teammates.

Only time will tell if the Niners draft strategy pays off and they can take home the Lombardi that has eluded them for the last three decades.

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