Championship-minded 49ers return to NFL Draft's first-round festivities

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Here comes the 49ers’ most dramatic first-round action in an NFL Draft since 2021.

Disclaimer: They haven’t had a first-round pick in either of the past two drafts, by virtue of their ill-fated climb in 2021 to select quarterback Trey Lance at the No. 3 overall slot.

“It’ll be more fun,” coach Kyle Shanahan said last month about Thursday’s opening night of the NFL Draft. “It’s pretty miserable not having a first-round pick, just watching and having nothing to do that first day.”

“It’s nice to be back there,” general manager John Lynch added at last month’s league meeting. “It’s boring sitting there every year, watching everybody pick.”

The 49ers are not slated to pick until No. 31 overall, their consolation prize for finishing as last season’s Super Bowl runner-up to the Kansas City Chiefs, who select No. 32 to cap the first round’s festivities.

It might be unlikely the 49ers stay at No. 31, however.

Their talent-stacked roster is viewed as the Super Bowl favorite by Vegas’ oddsmakers, so if the 49ers feel they are merely a top-notch player away from completing a championship lineup, they could move up the board.

That would take a trade, presumably with some of their 10 allotted picks or perhaps an expendable player such as a disgruntled one who would rather cash in on a contract extension elsewhere. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, by the way, is not their only starter entering his contract’s final season. So are guard Aaron Banks, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir; No. 2 running back Elijah Mitchell is, too.

Perhaps the 49ers have been biding their time to make a blockbuster move. The past month’s free agency moves weren’t exactly electric, as roughly a dozen players were signed to replace the dozen who left. Their priciest and most accomplished addition: defensive end Leonard Floyd. Their most notable departure: defensive tackle Arik Armstead.

“The higher you are in the draft, the better players you get to look at,” Lynch said last month. “Being back in the first round, albeit at the end of it, that is an exciting thing for us.”

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