Despite upgrades, the Niners face uncertainty at left guard and safety. Who will step up to solidify these crucial positions for Super Bowl contention?
The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2026 NFL draft on solid footing with opportunity to put the final pieces on a Super Bowl contender. They somehow left the weekend with unresolved questions looking toward the upcoming season.
The Niners did themselves plenty of favors in upgrading a couple of key positions in free agency, trades and the NFL draft. The area in which the team made the greatest improvement is wide receiver where they added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and drafted high upside Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. They also solidified the left tackle position with a massive re-signing of star tackle Trent Williams.
Despite what they were able to add, San Francisco failed to address a couple of positions until later in the draft. One analyst says it poses questions about who the team will play at the two positions in Week 1.
ESPN NFL insider Nick Wagoner believes the Niners have question marks at left guard and safety. Wagoner explained why those places have uncertainty heading into the 2026 season. Here's what he had to share.
"Who will the 49ers start at left guard and safety? The Niners prefer to use their most valuable draft capital on premium positions such as the defensive line and wide receiver, but this year was challenging based on where they were drafting.
Safety and left guard were the positions in obvious need of starting-caliber players, but the 49ers didn't address the offensive line until late in the fourth round and didn't select a safety, indicating they're OK with the players in place and/or going to keep an eye out for options on the open market. Perhaps some of their in-house options will emerge to solidify those spots, but the Niners are more likely to have competitions that linger into training camp and, perhaps, beyond."
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scrambles with the ball defended by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Clelin Ferrell (96) and safety Marques Sigle (36) during the fourth quarter in Philadelphia. Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesThe Niners do not need to panic about the lack of acquisitions there heading into the 2026 season teams can make do with "good enough" safety and guard play. The hope is that San Francisco has that on its roster this year.
One can reasonably assume the 49ers will not be a catastrophe at left guard, and that the team will not let receivers consistently get behind whoever it plays at safety. We just don't know who the player will be that starts for San Francisco at those positions. The 49ers will hope to answer those questions in time for the start of the season.