The Lynch Masterclass: Top Targets for the 49ers at Pick No. 33 to Kick Off Day 2
John Lynch maneuvers into the top of Day 2, arming the 49ers with Pick No. 33 and extra capital to secure a first-round talent without the first-round price tag. Here's who San Francisco should be targeting.
The clock is running. In a matter of hours, commissioner Roger Goodell will step to the podium in Pittsburgh and call the name that starts the San Francisco 49ers' second round. Pick No. 33. Top of Day 2. And John Lynch will be sitting there with exactly the position he maneuvered to get — not the one fate handed him.
Let's be clear about what Lynch pulled off. He started with Pick #27, dealt it to Miami for #30 and #90, then flipped #30 and #138 to the Jets for #33 and #179. On paper that looks like a lateral move. In execution, it's a front-office chess combination. Lynch gave up a late fourth-rounder (#138) and absorbed a fifth (#179) to land three picks ahead of where he started on Day 2 — while absorbing extra capital. The "injury discount" on this pick is zero. He paid full price for the privilege of going first. That tells you everything about how badly San Francisco wants whoever is sitting at the top of their board when the second round begins.
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | Fernando Mendoza | QB | Indiana |
| 2 | New York Jets | David Bailey | LB | Texas Tech |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | New York Giants | Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | Mansoor Delane | CB | LSU (via CLE) |
| 7 | Washington Commanders | Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State |
| 8 | New Orleans Saints | Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State |
| 9 | Cleveland Browns | Spencer Fano | OT | Utah (via KC) |
| 10 | New York Giants | Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami (via CIN) |
| 11 | Dallas Cowboys | Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State (via MIA) |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | Kadyn Proctor | OT | Alabama (via DAL) |
| 13 | Los Angeles Rams | Ty Simpson | QB | Alabama (via ATL) |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens | Vega Ioane | G | Penn State |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rueben Bain Jr. | DE | Miami |
| 16 | New York Jets | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | Oregon (via IND) |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | Blake Miller | OT | Clemson |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | Caleb Banks | DT | Florida |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers | Monroe Freeling | OT | Georgia |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Makai Lemon | WR | USC (via GB) |
| 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Max Iheanachor | OT | Arizona State |
| 22 | Los Angeles Chargers | Akheem Mesidor | LB | Miami |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys | Malachi Lawrence | DE | UCF (via PHI) |
| 24 | Cleveland Browns | KC Concepcion | WR | Texas A&M (via JAX) |
| 25 | Chicago Bears | Dillon Thieneman | S | Oregon |
| 26 | Houston Texans | Keylan Rutledge | G | Georgia Tech (via BUF) |
| 27 | Miami Dolphins | Chris Johnson | CB | San Diego State (via SF) |
| 28 | New England Patriots | Caleb Lomu | OT | Utah (via HOU/BUF) |
| 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | Peter Woods | DT | Clemson (via LAR) |
| 30 | New York Jets | Omar Cooper | WR | Indiana (via DEN/MIA/SF) |
| 31 | Tennessee Titans | Keldric Faulk | DE | Auburn (via NE/BUF) |
| 32 | Seattle Seahawks | Jadarian Price | RB | Notre Dame |
So. Who should it be?
| # | Player | Pos. | College | Expert / Source | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | S | Toledo | Daniel Jeremiah / Matt Miller | Very High |
| 2 | Emmanuel Pregnon | IOL | Oregon | Niners Faithful / PFF | Very High |
| 3 | Denzel Boston | WR | Washington | Daniel Jeremiah / Fantasy Life | High |
| 4 | Cashius Howell | EDGE | Texas A&M | Niner Noise / PFF | High |
| 5 | Gennings Dunker | IOL | Iowa | Jordan Reid (ESPN) | Medium-High |
| 6 | Avieon Terrell | CB | Clemson | Mike Renner (CBS) | Medium-High |
| 7 | Chase Bisontis | G/T | Texas A&M | 49ers.com / CFN | Medium-High |
| 8 | Jermod McCoy | CB | Tennessee | Daniel Jeremiah (Best Avail) | Medium |
| 9 | Gabe Jacas | EDGE | Illinois | Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN) | Medium |
| 10 | Kayden McDonald | DT | Ohio State | Carter Bahns (CBS) | Medium |
| 11 | CJ Allen | LB | Georgia | PFF / Chargers News | Medium |
| 12 | Germie Bernard | WR | Alabama | 49ers Webzone / TSN | Medium |
| 13 | Colton Hood | CB | Tennessee | Daniel Jeremiah | Medium |
| 14 | A.J. Haulcy | S | LSU | Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) | Medium |
| 15 | Zion Young | EDGE | Missouri | Fantasy Life / Niner Noise | Medium |
| 16 | T.J. Parker | EDGE | Clemson | Daniel Jeremiah | Low-Medium |
| 17 | Bud Clark | S | TCU | NFL.com / Locked On 49ers | Low-Medium |
| 18 | De’Zhaun Stribling | WR | Ole Miss | Chase Senior / Fox Sports | Low-Medium |
| 19 | Dametrious Crownover | OT | Texas A&M | NBC Sports | Low-Medium |
| 20 | Treydan Stukes | S | Arizona | The Sporting News | Low-Medium |
The Enforcer Profile: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
If you're designing a modern NFL safety for a physical, turnover-driven defense, you start with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Length, violence, range — he checks every box. He’s not just a defensive back; he’s a tone-setter.
McNeil-Warren plays the game like a heat-seeking missile. His defining trait — the “Peanut Punch” — isn’t a gimmick; it’s a weaponized skill. Nine forced fumbles in college tells you everything about his mindset: he’s hunting the football, not just the tackle. That kind of turnover production changes games, and it translates.
At 6'3 1/2" with a nearly 80-inch wingspan, he’s built to erase space. Tight ends struggle to separate from him, and quarterbacks think twice about throwing into his zone windows. His 1.58-second 10-yard split shows up on tape — the click-and-close burst is real. When he triggers downhill, plays end violently and quickly.
Scheme-wise, he’s a defensive coordinator’s chess piece. Toledo deployed him everywhere — deep safety, box enforcer, overhang defender — and he processed it all with confidence. His best NFL role projects as a big nickel / split-safety hybrid where he can attack the run, match up with modern tight ends, and rotate late to disguise coverage.
The developmental piece comes in coverage discipline. He can get over-aggressive, chasing big plays instead of staying structurally sound. His deep angles can drift at times, and elite route combinations will test his eye discipline early. But the tools — and the temperament — are exactly what you bet on.
The projected range for McNeil-Warren sits between late Round 1 and early Round 2. For a team looking to inject physicality and takeaway production into its secondary, he won’t last long into Day 2.
The Anchor Pick: Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon
If you're building the profile of a Kyle Shanahan guard from scratch — the prototype, the platonic ideal — you'd arrive at Emmanuel Pregnon. He's what the wide-zone scheme was designed for.
Pregnon moves more like a tight end than a guard. Watch his pull game on tape — he accelerates out of his stance, locates a linebacker at the second level, and erases him with a combination of power and precision that you rarely see from an interior lineman. His 35-inch vertical and 9'3" broad jump aren't just combine party tricks; they are the athletic foundation for the reach blocks and down-field displacement that define Shanahan's run game.
In pass protection, his anchor is elite — bull rushers rarely move him off his spot. His one vulnerability is a tendency to over-set against elite edge speed on wide splits, which a year in the NFL weight program will address. Lance Zierlein called him a "cruiser through on-field drills... mainly wins with power but technical show was notable." That undersells him. His technical refinement is exactly what makes the power work.
The projected range on Pregnon is Pick 28–40. The 49ers are sitting at 33. If he's on the board, this decision should take approximately four seconds.
The Pass Rush Infusion: T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson
If Pregnon is gone — and he very well might be — the 49ers face a decision that reveals their priorities for this roster. Do they replace a roster need (edge depth) or chase a positional value play? T.J. Parker is the answer if they go the former route, and he's a compelling one.
That 1.61-second 10-yard split is the number that jumps off the page for San Francisco. The Wide-9 alignment that DC Kris Kocurek runs lives and dies on the ability to threaten the corner in the first three steps. Parker does exactly that — and his 10'1" broad jump confirms it isn't a one-off; it's a body that generates explosive force on demand.
He's a technically advanced rusher for his age. Freshman All-American in 2023, he spent the next two seasons refining his hand-fighting — the inside chop, the long-arm reset, the spin counter off the speed rush. The "non-stop motor" read you'll find in every scouting report isn't hyperbole. His effort against the run, particularly his ability to use 33-inch arms to lock out tackles and squeeze running lanes, is exactly what Kocurek demands from his ends.
CBS Sports has Parker going to San Francisco at 33. That consensus is earned.
The Depth Insurance: Gennings Dunker, G/T, Iowa
Dunker's 4.63 short-shuttle was the best mark among interior linemen at the 2026 Combine. That number translates directly to the lateral agility needed for reach blocking — the ability to get outside leverage on a defensive tackle before he can cross your face. Iowa's offensive line program doesn't produce highlight reels; it produces NFL-ready technicians, and Dunker is exactly that.
He plays with a low center of gravity and a high football IQ. Tape from Iowa shows a lineman who consistently wins through leverage and positioning before the snap — a foundational trait Shanahan's coaches have always prized. The 6'5" frame also gives him tackle versatility if injury forces a position change. His projected range (33–50) means he could realistically be there if Parker is also gone.
The High-Ceiling Swing: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Every draft has a player who makes your medical team earn their salary. In 2026, for San Francisco, that player is Jermod McCoy.
Daniel Jeremiah said it plainly: "If you can get Jermod McCoy at the top of the second round, you might be getting the best cornerback in this entire draft class." The only reason McCoy is here instead of in the top ten is a torn ACL in January 2025 that wiped out his junior season. His 4.40 at the Combine was the green light — the physical tools are intact.
The 2024 tape against SEC competition tells the full story. Press-man, off-zone, man-coverage on No. 1 receivers — McCoy eliminated half the field on a consistent basis. His click-and-close ability is elite; he doesn't chase receivers, he anticipates routes and arrives at the catch point. In Raheem Morris' defensive scheme, which relies on corners to be willing and physical run supporters, McCoy's tape shows a player who is comfortable in traffic and committed to finishing plays.
The risk is real and must be acknowledged. He opted out of agility drills at the Combine, which limits post-injury lateral movement data. The 49ers' medical staff, not this column, makes that call. But if the medicals come back clean?
The Wild Card: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
With Mike Evans added in free agency, receiver isn't a burning need. But Boston represents the kind of value that makes front offices reconsider their board. His 1.55-second 10-yard split ranks in the 90th percentile for receivers over 6'3" — he's not just big, he's a big man who accelerates. That sub-7.00 three-cone on a 6'4" frame is genuinely unusual.
He is a red-zone nightmare and a deep crosser who gives Brock Purdy a bail-out target when the pocket collapses. His perimeter blocking effort — using his length to dominate corners on the edge — is the mandatory trait Shanahan demands from his wide receivers. The Athletic has Boston going to San Francisco. It's a defensible pick if the O-line options are gone.
The Bottom Line
Lynch's board at Pick 33 is enviable. That's the reward for the chess combination he executed over the last 48 hours. He didn't fall into this spot — he earned it.
The 49ers don't need a splash pick. They need the right pick. In a class this deep, the right pick at 33 is a player who makes the team harder to beat in January — not just easier to cheer for in September.
Emmanuel Pregnon is on the board, take him without blinking. He is the Shanahan guard prototype and should be the easy call. T.J. Parker gives this defense another genuine pass-rush weapon on a unit that needs one. Jermod McCoy, medical-grade willing, is the steal of the draft. Gennings Dunker is the safe, high-floor option. Denzel Boston is the stretch play.
Whatever happens tonight, the 49ers are playing with house money that Lynch manufactured himself. That's the most reassuring thing about walking into Pittsburgh with Pick 33. It wasn't handed to them. They went out and got it.
The Quest for Six is still alive. Let's get to work.
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Jon Camposano • Founder & Editor-in-Chief
A proud lifelong 49ers fan who grew up in the shadows of Candlestick Park, Camposano brings the analytical rigor of an engineer and the storytelling instincts of a cultural journalist to independent 49ers coverage. Follow @NinersFaithSF on X.
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