The 49ers are Projected to Have Three Compensatory Picks in 2026

There's a reason the 49ers signed so few free agents this year.

Jan 29, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch watches drills with San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel RJ Gillen during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

There's a reason the 49ers signed so few free agents this year.

It's not that they're cheap. They just spent big money to extend George Kittle and will spend even bigger money when they make Brock Purdy the highest-paid player in franchise history. But once they're paying Purdy $50 million per season or more, they won't have much cap space to sign expensive free agents, so they'll need as many draft picks as possible. Which means they want compensatory picks.

Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that lose more players in free agency than they add. And this year, the 49ers lost Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Moore, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Joshua Dobbs while their only major signings were Luke Farrell, Demarcus Robinson and Mac Jones.

That's what NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein projects the 49ers to have three compensatory picks in 2026 -- two in Round 4 and one in Round 5.

"The 49ers lost substantially more free-agent value than they added in 2025," writes Zierlein. "So, the math should work in their favor, with Banks, Ward and Hufanga bringing in a good haul."

This is why the 49ers waited until after the draft to start signing free agents again. This week, they signed offensive lineman D.J. Humphries and tight end Ross Dwelley. And because the 49ers waited until after the draft to sign them, they don't count toward the compensatory pick formula.

This year, the 49ers drafted nickelback Upton Stout, wide receiver Jordan Watkins, guard Connor Colby and return specialist Junior Bergen with compensatory picks. These comp picks are important to the 49ers.