The 49ers did something in this draft for the first time in the Next Gen Stats era
The 49ers drafted the same position from the same school in consecutive years. That hasn’t happened this century.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 03: Jordan Watkins #17 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images The San Francisco 49ers haven’t been shy about drafting players from the same school under the current regime. They’ve drafted a pair of Notre Dame offensive linemen in the top 50 in Aaron Banks and Mike McGlinchey.
Deebo Samuel and Javon Kinlaw both came out of the University of South Carolina. There are examples of the Niners selecting the same prospects from the same school in consecutive years, like in 2021 and 2022, when Talanoa Hufanga and Drake Jackson were drafted. If you want to go pre-John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers drafted Curtis Taylor and Eric Reid, a pair of free safeties from LSU.
Another example is Kentwan Balmer and Kentavius Street, both from North Carolina State. The most recent and closest example is this year with Enrique Cruz and Dominick Puni, both Kansas alumni. That’s as close to the same school and position in consecutive years as it gets, dating back to 2008.
You see where we’re going with this. For the first time in the Next Gen Stats database, the 49ers drafted players from the same school at the same position in consecutive years. The 49ers drafted former Ole Miss wide receivers Jordan Watkins and De’Zhaun Stribling in 2025 and 2026.