The 49ers have started signing their 2026 draft picks.
Six of their eight selections are now under contract, including second-rounder De’Zhaun Stribling. The 49ers picked Stribling at the top of the second round after trading out of the first round on the opening night in Pittsburgh.
They also signed third-round running back Kaelon Black, fourth-round offensive lineman Carver Willis, fourth-round cornerback Ephesians Prysock, fifth-round linebacker Jaden Dugger, and fifth-round offensive lineman Enrique Cruz. Third-round defensive end Romello Height and fourth-round defensive tackle Gracen Halton remain unsigned.
The 49ers also announced deals with seven undrafted free agents. They signed Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins, Tennessee defensive lineman Bryson Eason, North Carolina State wide receiver Wesley Grimes, Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, Notre Dame wide receiver Will Pauling, Notre Dame safety Jalen Stroman, and Illinois defensive lineman James Thompson.
The NFL will announce the full 2026 schedule on Thursday, May 14, but the league’s international slate of games will be revealed earlier than the domestic ones.
The matchups for this year’s international games will be announced on NFL Network at 9 a.m. eastern time on Wednesday.
Nine international games are on the docket this year, but the matchups for two of them have already been announced. The 49ers and Rams will meet up in Melbourne in Week 1 and the Cowboys will face the Ravens in Rio in Week 3.
One team in each of the other seven games is already known. The Jaguars will play in London twice and the Commanders will be involved in the city’s third game. The 49ers will be in Mexico City, the Falcons will be in Madrid, the Lions will be in Munich and the Saints will take part in the NFL’s first game in Paris.
The Vikings have had a need for another established receiver since Jalen Nailor signed with the Raiders early in free agency. They’ve finally addressed it.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Vikings and receiver Jauan Jennings have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. It’s reportedly worth “up to” $13 million. Which doesn’t shed much light on the true value of the deal. The reported figure is the maximum amount he can earn; without knowing the base value and the triggers for any incentives, it’s impossible to assess the deal.
Jennings became a free agent two years ago, on the heels of a solid performance in Super Bowl LVIII. He re-signed with the 49ers on a fairly modest deal. After generating 975 yards in 2024, he sought a raise. Ultimately, the 49ers added $3 million in incentives.
With the window for compensatory-draft pick consideration closing last week, the move won’t count toward San Francisco’s or Minnesota’s ultimate haul of extra selections.
A seventh-round pick in 2020, Jennings had spent six seasons with the 49ers. He had 643 receiving yards in 2025. He visited the Vikings last week.
In Minnesota, Jennings joins a depth chart led by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jennings was the highest remaining available free agent on the PFT list, at No. 23.
The 49ers used the 90th overall pick on Indiana running back Kaelon Black, drawing criticism from draft analysts who labeled his third-round selection a reach.
Both General Manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have defended when Black was selected.
“That’s just our evaluation of him,” Shanahan said recently. “Right or wrong, that’s our evaluation.”
Black is embracing the scrutiny, using it as motivation for his rookie season.
“It makes me want to go harder,” Black told Chase Senior of Chat Sports, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I’ve got to prove my coach right. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t seen the backlash that [Shanahan] has been getting for the pick, but we just stay the course. We stay focused, and we’re going to keep moving and try to prove him right.”
Black rushed for 251 yards for Indiana in 2024 before becoming one of the Hoosiers’ two 1,000-yard backs in 2025, finishing the season with 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 36 yards.
The Commanders are hiring 49ers scout Ryan Kessenich as their new director of college scouting, Neil Stratton of ScoutSpeak reports.
Kessenich is returning to Washington, where he began his scouting career in 2005.
His stint in San Francisco began in 2019, where he and Adam Peters worked together before Peters left to become the Commanders’ General Manager in 2024. Kessenich also worked as a scout for the Chiefs and the Bears and had two stops at Northwestern University, along with one year as a scout for the Senior Bowl, before joining the 49ers.
Kessenich will replace Tim Gribble, who left in January to join the Steelers.
