San Francisco

49ers

Rourke missed all of last season recovering from an ACL tear. He’ll battle Adrian Martinez for the third quarterback job. It’s possible that the 49ers trade Mac Jones — who is in the final year of his contract — at some point before the deadline if they’re able to get a big return for him. Rourke is worth monitoring in large superflex leagues given how often Kyle Shanahan has elevated quarterbacks.

Shockingly and inexplicably the second running back off the draft board in the 2026 NFL Draft, Black out of Indiana appears to be a solid-enough blocker who might earn snaps behind Christian McCaffrey this season. Jordan James, Barrow added, remains the likely RB2 behind McCaffrey. Black’s blocking ability “won’t make him popular in fantasy football circles, but it’s something a rookie needs to prove before he gets meaningful snaps.” In 32 pass-blocking opportunities in 2025, Black did not allow a quarterback hit while giving up two QB pressures. If he proves himself a reliable blocker in training camp, Black could see significant snaps in the 49ers offense.

Barrow said Stribling, taken with the 33rd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is "[Jajuan] Jennings-like” in his willingness to block for ball carriers down the field. Shanahan has said the team’s explosive rush rate dropped in 2025 because they lacked solid wideout blocking with Jennings — now with the Vikings — missing much of the season. “Stribling doesn’t have Jennings’ size or length, and he must build the kind of receiver-quarterback chemistry Jennings had with Brock Purdy in recent years,” Barrow said. “Still, Stribling is faster and offers big-play ability the 49ers were missing last season.” The rookie is not expected to get heavy playing time to begin the 2026 season, and it appears the Niners drafted him for his intangibles and willingness to block for Christian McCaffrey. Stribling, 23, had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss.

The Kyler Murray experiment should be well underway by late November as Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings look to recover from their failed dalliance with J.J. McCarthy as the team’s starting quarterback. Murray will lead a quietly loaded Minnesota offense against Kyle Shanahan’s EPA-maximizing Niners offense. The last time Brock Purdy faced the Vikings defense he threw for 319 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a Week 2 2024 loss. Purdy took a season-high six sacks in that game.

Fellow EDGE Nick Bosa (also knee, also ACL), who suffered his injury six weeks earlier, is expected back for Week 1. It sounds like Williams is in more doubt. Based on that, it’s certainly possible the second-year EDGE player starts training camp on the PUP list. 49ers beats saw Williams doing side-to-side movements and working with resistance bands at rookie minicamp, so he’s certainly active, but he still has several hurdles to clear in his rehab before a return is on the table.

Black is expected to compete with second-year RB Jordan James in training camp for the primary backup role. James, 22, played just three offensive snaps last year, though The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said in February that “it seems like the 49ers have big plans” for him this season. Black, 24, is the latest in a long list of running backs drafted by the 49ers in the mid rounds. The 49ers’ results in this effort have not been great, but perhaps Black is the player who makes it all worth it. He scored 10 touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ championship run last year.

Stribling gets a $13.5 million deal with a $6.3 million signing bonus, which comes with a $2.5 million salary cap hit in 2026. The 49ers brought him board with the No. 33 overall pick, which generated mixed responses. Stribling will compete for a starting role in three-wide receiver sets right away, but likely begins training camp as the penciled-in No. 4 wide receiver behind Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk.

The deal includes an $8 million base salary. Jennings can make an extra $5 million via incentives. This will be Jennings’ first time playing for a team other than the 49ers, who drafted him in the 2020 NFL Draft’s seventh round. Jennings, 28, caught 55 passes for 643 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns last year. He should start in three-wide receiver sets alongside Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jefferson will rarely leave the field, but one wonders if Jennings (6'3/212) might be able to steal snaps from Addison (5'11/175) in two-wide receiver sets, in part due to Jennings’ run-blocking ability. Addison, 24, is the more talented receiver, so we expect him to remain the No. 2 target earner, but this dynamic is worth keeping an eye on in training camp. For now, Jennings can be viewed as a WR4/FLEX, while Jefferson sits in the WR1 tier and Addison in the WR2/3 range.

The team has also requested interviews with Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler and Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray. Gillen joined the 49ers as a scouting assistant in 2015. He worked his way up the corporate ladder and was eventually promoted to his current role last offseason.

Niners officials said Stribling, surprisingly taken with the 33rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, was a “gold helmet” rookie prospect due to his intangibles. “Our coach loved him right away. Leadership. Goal-oriented,” Ahmad said of Stribling, 23, who had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss. “The passion the guy has, the work ethic, the toughness, the durability. He checks all those boxes at a high level.” Entering the league, Stribling’s production leaves a lot to be desired. He had just 811 yards and six touchdowns in his final collegiate season and was projected as a third our fourth rounder before the Niners selected him with the first pick of the second round. ESPN reported last week that Stribling would probably not function as a starting wideout to begin the 2026 regular season, leaving Ricky Pearsall as a locked-in starter alongside Mike Evans.