PFF identifies 49ers' biggest 2026 NFL Draft need—and it's not what you think

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, many believed the San Francisco 49ers would address a glaring need at offensive tackle. Mock drafts frequently projected the team to select a lineman early, making it all the more surprising when general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan repeatedly passed on the position.

Looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Trevor Sikkema identified each NFL team's most pressing future need. For the 49ers, it wasn't offensive tackle that made the list—it was the secondary. More specifically—safety.

"The 49ers lost safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, but Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown are capable of filling that downhill strong safety role," Sikkema explained.

It's worth noting that Mustapha is expected to miss time at the start of the 2025 season as he continues to recover from the ACL injury he suffered in last season's finale. Still, his impressive rookie campaign has many within the organization viewing him as a potential long-term contributor and one of the steals of the 2025 draft.

However, despite Mustapha and Brown being on the roster, questions remain about how the 49ers will handle deeper coverage responsibilities.

"But who is playing single-high coverage between those two?" Sikkema asked. "Brown earned a 71.5 PFF coverage grade and Mustapha recorded just a 62.5 mark when they were aligned as free safeties.

"With Robert Saleh back in San Francisco, expect one of them to play that single-high role often in his Cover 3 base. Can one, likely Brown, step up to the plate? If not, the 2026 safety class is strong."