49ers Biggest Remaining Needs After the Draft—What’s Still Missing

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49ers Biggest Remaining Needs After the Draft—What’s Still Missing

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers filled most of their needs in the 2026 NFL draft. However, no team is ever complete, and the 49ers will always look to improve their roster. One area where they can get better is at tight end.

Will the San Francisco 49ers continue to look to add a tight end this offseason?

On paper, tight end does not look bad, but George Kittle is coming off a torn Achilles tendon. All indications are that he is ahead of schedule, but this is a serious injury; it can hurt your explosiveness, and it may be smart for the 49ers to ease him into the 2026 season. However, they are rail thin at tight end otherwise.

They have Jake Tonges, and while he did do a good job replacing some of the receiving production that the team lost with Kittle, he was not nearly as valuable as a blocker. The 49ers signed Luke Farrell last offseason to be their blocking tight end, and he was a major disappointment.

If the team wants to be serious about having depth behind Kittle and options with him out, they need to bring in someone who can compete with Farrell. Right now, Brayden Willis is the fourth tight end, but he serves a much different role and is not that type of blocker.

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Hayden Rucci is a UDFA from 2024, but he has hardly caught on. Then, there is rookie UDFA Khalil Dinkins. Dinkins hardly produced at Penn State, but earned a combine invite because he was regarded as one of the best blockers in the draft. His lack of potential in the passing game is why Dinkins did not get drafted at all. However, his blocking ability is why he is one of the better UDFAs that the 49ers added this offseason.

Still, betting on Rucci, who has 39 snaps on a different team, or Dinkins, a rookie UDFA, to step in and beat Farrell from day one might be optimistic. David Njoku is the top tight end on the free agent market, but there are a few other good options.

Will Dissly and John FitzPatrick have injury questions, but both are regarded as better blockers than Farrell. It would not be a surprise if one of these players signed a little bit closer to training camp.

It is not a massive need that will change the outcome of 2026, but the team should be looking to upgrade its blocking tight end.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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