49ers' Kyle Shanahan reveals Round 3 RB was rated higher than Seahawks pick in Round 1

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The San Francisco 49ers didn't exactly have the kind of draft class that the majority of NFL fans and media wind up liking. They took a few fun players like Gracen Halton, De'Zhuan Stribling, Romello Heigh, and Kaelon Black, but they took them at odd spots.

Going by the NFL consensus board, the 49ers reached a lot of times during the NFL Draft. But John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan do not care what people think of their draft haul.

And during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Shanahan revealed that the 49ers' 3rd-round pick in running back Kaelon Black was actually ranked higher than the Seattle Seahawks 1st-round pick Jadarian Price despite a 58-pick difference.

Kyle Shanahan reveals Kaelon Black was rated higher than Jadarian Price

"We had him as the second-rated back on the board," Shanahan said. "So that's just our evaluation of him, right or wrong, that is our evaluation. Then you gotta decide where you think he's going to go."

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 30, 2026

By Shanahan revealing Black was his second-highest rated running back on their board, their preference for running back in this year's class begins to take shape.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love would very likely be the top-rated player on their board at the position. He was of the best prospects in this year's class and went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.

But, by having Black No. 2, with Love likely No. 1, it shows that Price, the running back the Seahawks took in Round 1 at the 32nd pick, was likely rated lower on the 49ers board than Black was.

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With the Seahawks using the No. 32 pick on Price and the 49ers using the No. 90 pick on Black, this looks to be a massive value for the 49ers compared to a ridiculous reach for the Seahawks.

At least, from the 49ers' big board's perspective. Price at no. 32 was likely a bit of a reach, but not many scouts and analysts had Black as the No. 2 back in this year's class.

While there's been plenty of frustrations expressed over the 49ers' draft class, this comment from Shanahan is a subtle jab at the Seahawks for taking Price in Round 1 when the 49ers had Black rated higher and got him 58 picks later at No. 90.

It's a great response from Shanahan to quell some of the worries about the 49ers' draft class. The 49ers believe Black was a better running back than Price based on this quote from Shanahan, which makes their pick 58 spots later look a lot better than Seattle's.

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