Getty

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Every NFL team, like the San Francisco 49ers, is looking to get an edge over the competition in any way possible. The Niners are implementing a controversial tactic to help plan their draft.

Any usage of Artificial Intelligence can cause controversy. Nonetheless, as the 49ers prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft, the team’s general manager, John Lynch, admitted they are using AI to support the draft process and even defended the decision.

“If you aren’t using [AI], you’re already behind, and the cool thing is what we found is you don’t need to be an expert,” Lynch told reporters on April 20 (h/t Vic Tafur of The Athletic ). “Just like you at home planning a travel itinerary, you can just ask the thing, and it can spit out some pretty good things, some pretty good ideas.

“Our developers, I think we’re fortunate to be where we are, kind of at the epicenter of the innovation there. And we’ve tried to take advantage of that, and I do think every team is probably using it in some form or fashion, and I think that will only increase as we move forward.”

As a result, it will be interesting to see which player the Niners choose, with AI assistance, to aid their decision-making.

49ers Get Mock Draft Prediction Ahead of NFL Draft

While the Niners are looking to contend in the 2026 season, they are counting on many veteran players. Nonetheless, the upcoming draft could see the Niners start finding the young players that can eventually replace guys like Trent Williams. 

In a mock draft from A to Z Sports published on April 5 , the 49ers are predicted to select a young offensive lineman: Former Alabama Crimson Tide  offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.

“Trent Williams’ future is up in the air, and the 49ers signed Vederian Lowe as a low-end alternative,” Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports wrote. “With so many edge defenders off the board, including back-to-back ones in Faulk and Howell, Kadyn Proctor offers Kyle Shanahan a top prospect for the future at left tackle.

“Proctor is a huge 6’7, 352-pound tackle with elite athleticism and ability to move bodies in the run game. Last season at Alabama, he allowed only 19 pressures and amassed a 97.9% efficiency rate. Proctor has some technique issues to improve upon, which is natural for a 20-year-old prospect, but the frame and age make his ceiling extremely high.”

Last season for the Crimson Tide, Proctor earned an 85.4 overall PFF grade  over 878 offensive snaps. He posted an 81.8 pass-blocking grade and an 81.6 run-blocking grade. In pass protection, he allowed 19 total pressures, including two sacks and four hits, and was flagged for just two penalties.

Niners Urged to Avoid One Prospect in Round 1

Although the Niners need to weigh the decision on which young player would best fit their team, they did receive a warning from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine on one prospect to avoid drafting in Round 1: Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell.

“Howell was a menace at Texas A&M this season racking up 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks,” Ballentine wrote in his April 19 article . “After watching Williams get just one sack in nine games, the 49ers could be tempted to go back to the edge-rusher well. The reality is that Howell has too many limitations to make sense in the 49ers defense.

“Right now, they have [Mykel] Williams, Nick Bosa and Keion White as their top three players on the edge. All three have the kind of size and play strength needed to hold up on the edge. Howell, on the other hand, is undersized at 6’2″, 253 pounds. He also has a zero percentile arm length for the position. That’s really hard to overlook, regardless of athleticism.

“The Niners are still a contending team. They have an older core that needs help from this draft pick to get over the hump in the NFC. Trusting Howell, a size outlier who will struggle to hold up against the run, to be that kind of prospect is just not realistic.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo