49ers' John Lynch Talks Team's 'Conviction' Amid Criticism of 2026 NFL Draft Class

The San Francisco 49ers have made three picks in this year's draft so far: Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (No. 33 overall), Texas Tech edge-rusher Romello Height (No. 70) and Indiana running back Kaelon Black (No. 90).

After the night's proceedings, 49ers general manager John Lynch made his team's "conviction" on the choices clear during a press conference.

"That's where we had them (on our draft board), and we had a lot of conviction," he said, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

The 49ers are getting some criticism on reaching for picks.

Obviously, the 49ers are going off their own draft board and not those of analysts. It's certainly possible the picks they made pan out and any pre-draft criticism becomes a distant memory.

There is a gap between where the 49ers chose those players and where analysts had them, however.

Taking a look at the B/R NFL Scouting Department big board, for example, Stribling was listed at No. 68 overall. Height was 92nd, and Black was 210th.

We'll see how they fare soon enough in San Francisco. In the meantime, the 49ers' draft class isn't complete by any means. They still have a quartet of fourth-round picks (Nos. 107, 127, 133 and 139) and a fifth-rounder (No. 179) in 2026.