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The San Francisco 49ers have been active at the 2026 NFL Draft, as they haven’t been shy about making trades. San Francisco originally had the No. 27 pick, but made two draft decisions that led to them trading out of the first round while accumulating picks.

In the first trade that the Niners made on April 23, they sent Nos. 27 and No. 138 to the Miami Dolphins for Nos. 30 and No. 90 (third round). After that, San Francisco made another trade, sending the No. 30 to the New York Jets for No. 33 (second round) and No. 179 (fifth round).

On Day 2, the 49ers selected wideout De’Zhaun Stribling, edge rusher Romello Height, and running back Kaelon Black. Before San Francisco made those selections, former 49ers player Richard Sherman shared his thoughts on San Francisco’s draft strategy to trade out of the first round.

“It seemed like they were comfortable if certain players dropped to that spot. I think KC Concepcion was a guy that, if he would have dropped to 27, they would have felt comfortable,” Sherman said on the April 24 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “They would have picked him up. They would have stayed put. But obviously he went a lot earlier in the draft than that spot…

“They don’t have to have the fifth-year option with the guy, and that makes a lot of sense. If you don’t think any of the players after pick 15 are first-round graded players, then you wouldn’t necessarily want to have that extra year of security with him. So it makes sense to move back into the second round. It saves you some money in salary cap. It saves you some headache down the line.”

49ers Reason for Trading Out of the First Round

Moreover, 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke about the reasons for trading down, noting that they were looking back after the players they were targeting didn’t fall to them.

“There were a couple of players we would have taken had they been there,“ Lynch said. “That didn’t happen. We had done our due diligence. Probably, you know, about this time last week, we started making calls: ‘Hey, if we were to get back.‘ And I think the reason why I think this was a draft where a lot of people were trying to move back. And so you wanted to get ahead.”

Niners Explain Dee Winters Trade to Cowboys

On Day 2, the 49ers were also making trades as San Francisco sent linebacker Dee Winters to the Dallas Cowboys in return for a fifth-round pick, No. 152 overall. Lynch spoke to the media after Day 2 of the draft and explained why the team decided to part ways with Winters and send him to Dallas.

“We made that trade, and that’s tough because Dee is a guy who’s done a lot for us here,“ Lynch told reporters on April 24 (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Sixth-round pick out of TCU, but he is one of the favorite guys in that locker room among his teammates.

“He’s done a lot for us on the field. We just felt like we were in good position at linebacker, and Dallas has been really interested in him for a long time.”