Why Kyle Shanahan pays some attention to NFL draft analysis from outside 49ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In the aftermath of the 2026 NFL Draft, the 49ers were the subject of much debate around their strategy — particularly picks that many analysts considered as “reaches.”
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However, general manager John Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco’s front office have remained steadfast in their draft approach and selections. That is because the 49ers are confident in their own methods and scouting, as opposed simply to going off the general consensus.
But Shanahan maintains there still is some utility in consuming media opinions before the draft, as he explained alongside Lynch on Monday’s episode of the “Tom Tolbert Show.”
“My biggest thing when it comes to listening to everybody else, I think that’s really important for one reason: to get an idea of where people are going,” Shanahan stated. “You need to be able to value the draft based off your experience and like, ‘Man, I’ve seen this type of talent. I’ve never seen a guy like this go higher than Round 3.’ ‘Yeah, this guy has some certain stuff and some holes, but he’s too talented. There’s no way he’ll fall back past the second round based off of the 20 years that we’ve been doing it,’ or whatever.
“But, I want to hear what everyone’s talking about out there. What are the mock drafts? Not because I want their opinion on it, necessarily — and I want the people’s opinion in our building — but I want to have an idea of where people are valued, so you know, like, all right, it would be surprising here. Usually it’s close, but then you always have those sleepers. Usually those sleepers are the guys that the media weren’t quite on right away, that scouts were a little bit later on, that weren’t as good going into their senior year. But they did very well, and come December, here come these bowl games and stuff, and it is a late push, but the media hasn’t quite caught up with it yet. And that’s what you’ve got to be careful of.”
Shanahan, himself a coach’s son, has a unique perspective on that distinction between the media narrative and what teams truly believe. He admitted to being more of a casual fan in regards to the draft, like the majority of fans who don’t have the time for constant film analysis of prospects.
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So, Shanahan shared an anecdote from his childhood discussions with his father Mike, a three-time Super Bowl champion, to show that contrast of beliefs inside and outside the building.
“When I grew up, all I did was watch the draft, just like my son does, just like [Lynch] said he did, just like most sports fans do,” Shanahan explained. “And every time my dad would take someone, I’m kind of like, ‘Why the hell did you take him? I haven’t even heard of that guy. There’s no way he was getting drafted. I’ve watched every draft thing. I don’t even know that guy’s name, Dad.’ I was like, ‘Why didn’t you take [another player]?’ He’s like, ‘First of all, Kyle, have you watched film on either one of them?’ ‘Like, no, but everyone’s talking about him.’
“And odds are, most of those people haven’t either. It takes too long to do it the right way. So they’re repeating what other people say, which doesn’t make it wrong, but you’ve got to be careful of it. And so what you really can only bank on is your experience and what you see and all the good people that work with you. And that’s why we spend so much time on it.”
Of course, it’s impossible to come to any conclusions about the 49ers’ draft class — or any other team’s — when these rookies won’t play in an official game for another three-and-a-half months.
But it does feel very certain that San Francisco’s recent draft selections must be productive for the team to be as competitive as they’d like in 2026.
