What Kyle Shanahan's draft night comments reveal about the 49ers' real plan
The 49ers adapted quickly when their preferred target disappeared.
What Kyle Shanahan's draft night comments reveal about the 49ers' real plan originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . San Francisco did not make a first-round selection Thursday night.
By the time the 49ers were done working the phones, they had traded back twice and arrived at No. 33, sitting on seven picks for Day 2 and more late-round ammunition than they started with. In the news conference, Kyle Shanahan filled in a detail worth paying attention to.
The target they were probably building around was KC Concepcion, Texas A&M wide receiver, who came off the board at No. 24 to the Cleveland Browns , three picks before San Francisco's original slot at 27. Based on what came out of the podium on Thursday, Concepcion was very likely the guy they had circled, and Cleveland got to him first.
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available Once Concepcion was gone, San Francisco got creative with what the board gave them The 49ers dealt No. 27 and a fourth-round compensatory pick (No. 138) to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for No.