3 Positions the 49ers Must Address on Day 3 of the NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers checked three needs off the board with their first three picks of the 2026 NFL draft. The team is now well-positioned with five picks after trading back. Which positions do they have to address before the draft ends?

Left guard

This is the one spot where there is not a locked-in starter on the roster. Robert Jones is technically in line to start, followed by Connor Colby. Colby was a disaster as a rookie and was a late-round pick, while Robert Jones missed the entire season with a neck injury. So, the need is real. The 49ers had two chances to take left guard and passed on Chase Bisontis once and Emmanuel Pregnon a couple of times. Now, some of the better options include Logan Taylor, Kage Casey, and Alex Harkey. Will one end up on the 49ers?

Safety

San Francisco does not need a starting safety, but they could use one. They have not been high on Ji’Ayir Brown, and he struggled towards the end of last year. He has played well in dime situations, so the 49ers should be thinking that if they add a starter, they could push Brown into the dime and get better at both positions.

San Francisco had a strong chance to draft safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren from Toledo and traded away from that selection to move down the board. So, they either are much higher on Brown than we think, or they had other plans in mind at safety. Right now, it appears they are going for another plan at safety. That likely means taking one on day three.

Tight End

Tight end is another position where they do not have a significant need, but they could also use a player at that spot. First, George Kittle is expected to miss some time to start the 2026 season. Beyond that, Luke Farrell was a complete dud of a signing that the 49ers made last offseason.

So, Jake Tonges is the only trusted starter for week 1, and even he is not that trusted. Beyond that, he is not the best blocker. So, the 49ers should be looking to add a blocking tight end with the athletic upside to turn into more. The unfortunate news is that a lot of these tight ends flew off the board in the third round. However, San Francisco can still find one they like.

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