integrating into the team\u2019s offseason program<\/a>, over the last week. The 49ers will have their first full-squad OTA practices next week.<\/p>\nAhmad spent about 45 minutes discussing what drew the 49ers to each of their picks.<\/p>\n
WR De\u2019Zhaun Stribling, second round<\/p>\n
Last month, Shanahan went on \u201cThe Rich Eisen Show\u201d and revealed that he\u2019s just like us when it comes to evaluating draft prospects: He begins the process in February and starts with a prospect\u2019s highlight reels, which, in his case, his position coaches make for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I always tell them, \u2018If I don\u2019t like the highlight tape, then I\u2019m not gonna watch anything after,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSo those guys have to put a lot of work into the highlight tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
It turns out that the team offers up as many as three highlight reels for a prospect: one by the position coaches, another by scouting assistants and sometimes a third that assistant general manager RJ Gillen and the 49ers\u2019 pro scouts put together.<\/p>\n
When it came to Stribling, there was plenty of material.<\/p>\n
He spent five college seasons at three schools, each of which emphasized something different from its wide receivers. That meant Stribling\u2019s reels, including the one composed by receivers coach Leonard Hankerson, showed him doing a variety of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we make these tapes, we want to show what these players can do, what their maximum talent is and also how they fit for us \u2014 what we\u2019ll do with them,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cYou\u2019re able to sell that vision of what that player can do when they\u2019re here with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The diversity of skills \u2014 including blocking and downfield speed \u2014 likely means Stribling won\u2019t be typecast into one role with the 49ers. For example, the way he took out nickel cornerbacks at Ole Miss suggests he might be able to step in at Jauan Jennings\u2019 former slot receiver spot as a rookie.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said one trait that stood out at every stop \u2014 Washington State, Oklahoma State and finally Ole Miss \u2014 was Stribling\u2019s hands. He had nine drops in five seasons and only one last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt he could really pluck the ball,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought he was excellent at just ripping the ball out of the air on contested catches.\u201d<\/p>\n
DE Romello Height, third round<\/p>\n
John Lynch wasn\u2019t just being descriptive when he said the 49ers had a high \u201chair on fire grade\u201d for Height, whom they took early in the third round.<\/p>\n
As Ahmad explained, hair on fire is an analytics measurement the team uses, one that examines where a defensive player is in proximity to the ball. One of the things that impressed the 49ers about Height was his motor \u2014 he was determined to be in on the play even when it was on the opposite side of the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does not stop,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cIt is incredible watching him strain. It was one of the many things that I absolutely loved about his tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before he became the team\u2019s vice president of player personnel, Ahmad was the scout who cross-checked defensive linemen in the run-up to the draft. You could say it\u2019s his specialty. And it was clear Height was among his favorites in this year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the combine interview was awesome,\u201d he said. \u201cI fell in love with him at the combine. He\u2019s serious. I mean, you could feel how much passion he has. He comes on a 30 visit, and it\u2019s the same thing. He just loves football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahmad noted that Texas Tech had an impressive defensive line in 2025, including the No. 2 pick David Bailey and No. 49 pick Lee Hunter. The school, however, said Height was the alpha of the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked to teammates of his \u2014 he was the guy they\u2019d want to bring with them,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cHe was a guy they believed in. It\u2019s exciting that everything Texas Tech told us about his passion, we\u2019ve seen out here the last few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
RB Kaelon Black, third round<\/p>\n
A theme in this year\u2019s draft: players who went deep into the college playoffs didn\u2019t take part in the Senior Bowl (late January), the combine (late February) or both. Stribling, for example, declined a Senior Bowl invitation after Ole Miss\u2019 season extended into January.<\/p>\n
Black, however, was an exception. Despite logging 41 snaps in Indiana\u2019s championship victory on Jan. 19, he was on hand when Senior Bowl practices began the following week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he wanted to prove something,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cHe wanted to prove that he could be a real NFL running back, and I thought it was a tremendous stage for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahmad said Black got high marks in football character, including from Indiana\u2019s strength coach, who said Black was one of his favorite players he\u2019s ever coached. The 49ers also thought he was one of the \u201cbest pure runners\u201d in this year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vision, reactions, the way he finished runs, the contact balance,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cWe all just loved the runner.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the 49ers weren\u2019t concerned with the tailback\u2019s lack of pass-catching production at Indiana. He said Black looked good in that area at the Senior Bowl, as well as early on in the 49ers\u2019 offseason program.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more of a reflection on the (Indiana) offense instead of what he cannot do,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been really happy with his hands, his route running.\u201d<\/p>\n
DT Gracen Halton, fourth round<\/p>\n
When scouting offensive linemen, the 49ers like to watch them face a common opponent. One unit they used extensively to that end in 2025 was Oklahoma\u2019s defensive line, which included a couple of promising underclassmen and was considered one of the nation\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
During those study sessions, however, it was an upperclassman, Halton, who caught their eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he just kept showing up \u2014 over and over and over again,\u201d Ahmad said.<\/p>\n
Halton didn\u2019t have much buzz entering the season. But he took a leap as a senior and then was one of the standouts at the Senior Bowl, where he was put in situations that mimicked what the 49ers want from their defensive linemen.<\/p>\n
Said Ahmad: \u201cHe really got off the ball, got on that edge, was able to win quickly, be disruptive \u2014 all the acceleration and get-off that we\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 49ers were heavily criticized for taking Stribling and Black earlier than expected, but it was the opposite for Halton. Everyone, including the 49ers, thought he\u2019d be taken on Day 2 but instead lasted until the seventh pick of the fourth round.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we did really well on the D-line this year,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cI think last year, our first- and second-round picks, Alfred (Collins) and Mykel, were good. And I think if Mykel didn\u2019t get injured, we\u2019d be really, really excited about how (he) finished the year. And now it\u2019s exciting adding this next group to that one. We got younger, we got more explosive, we got more pass rushers.\u201d<\/p>\n
G Carver Willis, fourth round<\/p>\n
The 49ers like to have offensive line coach Chris Foerster meet or work out prospects before the draft, something that happened with both Willis and fifth-round pick Enrique Cruz Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cChris doesn\u2019t need to talk to every offensive lineman who\u2019s on the board,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cHe trusts us a great deal to narrow that list down for him. But there is an element of \u2014 for guys who could potentially go into the (offensive line) room \u2014 he should speak to those guys and have a feel for them and how they fit in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willis played in a similar system at Washington, which ought to make for a smooth transition with San Francisco. The 49ers also were impressed by his demeanor. He struck them as smart and mature \u2014 he turned 24 last month \u2014 and someone who could play center for them in the future. As of now, Willis will line up at guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a bright, impressive kid,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cFor offensive linemen, that definitely stands out. You\u2019ve got to be consistent, you\u2019ve got to be mature, you can\u2019t make mistakes, you\u2019ve got to do the right thing over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n
CB Ephesians Prysock, fourth round<\/p>\n
The 49ers went against type with Prysock.<\/p>\n
In recent drafts, they\u2019ve had success with shorter, grittier cornerbacks who can play inside or outside, like Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green and Upton Stout. Prysock stands nearly 6 feet 4 and has an 80 \u00bd-inch wingspan. That\u2019s more than 6 inches longer than that of the top cornerback in this year\u2019s draft, Mansoor Delane, whom the Chiefs drafted at No. 6.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said prospects with Prysock\u2019s length rarely fall to the penultimate spot in the fourth round, which is why the 49ers took him there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe defensive coaches absolutely loved EP,\u201d he said. \u201cHe would have been in the conversation for them very early in the draft. Very, very early.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prysock also stood out to the 49ers at the Senior Bowl. \u201cHe was top two, in my opinion,\u201d Ahmad said of the cornerbacks there.<\/p>\n
He said teams place a premium on length like Prysock\u2019s because it gives a player more room for error.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re smaller and you lack length, everything has to be perfect,\u201d he said. \u201cLength gives you more ability to recover, more ability to get in the way, more span for tackling.\u201d<\/p>\n
LB Jaden Dugger, fifth round<\/p>\n
The last two players drafted are similar in one sense: They\u2019re athletic with high upside, but they will probably need some time to develop before they compete for starting roles.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said Dugger was a steady mover up the team\u2019s draft board in the spring because he got high grades from two key figures.<\/p>\n
First, national scout Chip Flanagan, who cross-checks the linebackers, gave Dugger sterling marks at both the East-West Shrine Bowl and with his cross-check grade. At the same time, Dugger caught the attention of the team\u2019s new linebackers coach, K.J. Wright, a former linebacker who bears a strong resemblance to Dugger in physique.<\/p>\n
K.J. Wright
Height: 6-4
Weight: 246
Arm:: 34 \u215e
Round: 4 (2011)<\/p>\n
K.J. Wright\u2019s newest pupil, Jaden Dugger
Height: 6-4 \u00be
Weight: 242
Arm: 35
Round: 5 (2026)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a scout, as a coach, you want to eliminate all your biases, right?\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cYou want to be very aware of your prejudice. But then on the other side of it, you can see the potential. You can see why they\u2019re excited about what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dugger played safety at Georgetown before moving to outside linebacker at Louisiana in 2024 and middle linebacker at Louisiana last season. The 49ers haven\u2019t said where he\u2019ll line up as a rookie, though the normal progression for young linebackers is to start on the weakside, which allows them to be more reactive. For example, that\u2019s where 2025 third-round pick Nick Martin practiced last season.<\/p>\n
OL Enrique Cruz Jr., fifth round<\/p>\n
The word Ahmad used multiple times to describe Cruz: gifted.<\/p>\n
He ran a 4.94-second 40-yard dash at 313 pounds at the combine. He had a 35-inch vertical jump, which was 3 inches higher than that of the top tackle in the draft, Utah\u2019s Spencer Fano. His hands measure nearly 11 inches.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a lot of top-10 percent talent in his body \u2014 the acceleration, the explosiveness,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cHe\u2019s a very physically gifted guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cruz also got positive feedback from his former coaches despite transferring from Syracuse to Kansas after he lost his starting job in 2024 when Fran Brown took over as head coach. Ahmad said he talked to Brown about Cruz.<\/p>\n
\u201cFran fully endorsed him,\u201d he said. \u201cFran wished he\u2019d never left, gave me a lot of good insight on him from that season at Syracuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cruz also got a workout from Foerster in the run-up to the draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cChris loved him on tape,\u201d Ahmad said. \u201cThen Chris came back from the workout even more convicted. And everything we\u2019ve seen so far is really encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n