The 49ers beefed up their defensive line with their first pick on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting defensive tackle Gracen Halton with the seventh pick in Round 4 (107 overall).

Halton, 22, gives the 49ers an undersized (6-2 5/8, 293) but intriguing defensive tackle prospect with the ability to move. Here's a look at what to know about Halton, along with some high school footage you'll want to take a look at.


Caught by surprise


Halton didn't have much contact with the 49ers coming into the draft, telling reporters after his selection that he remembered talking with them only once and can't remember exactly what they talked about. So Halton wasn't expecting them to give him a call in Round 4.

"No, I didn't. I didn't expect the 49ers," Halton said. "But's a blessing, just getting the call, knowing that I'm going somewhere and having somebody that believes in me. So I'm ready to get to work."

Fans won't be excited to learn about the team Halton cheered for growing up, but that's certainly in the past now that he's heading to San Francisco.

"I was a Cowboys fan with my dad," Halton said. "When I got to high school and stuff, I didn't have a team -- just watching the NFL."

Where he fits


Halton adds depth to a defensive tackle group that improved in strength after the offseason acquisition of Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys. With Alfred Collins and CJ West back for their second season and Evan Anderson also in the mix, Halton figures to have a shot to enter into the rotation as a rookie.


Halton's lack of contact with the 49ers means he didn't get information from them about what they have in store for him as a rookie. But he knows enough about the players the 49ers have on defense to feel like he'll fit.

"They're hungry -- got some hungry guys on that side of the ball that's ready to go make plays," Halton said. "They just added one more."

Interior quickness


Halton was projected by multiple analysts as high as Round 3. He brings a quickness and disruptiveness that helped him stand out as a pass rusher at Oklahoma.

"Halton seems to put constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks," Oklahoma team reporter Carson Field told Packers Wire before the draft. "His explosiveness helps him break through and apply steady pressure. The most notable example of this was against South Carolina. He seemed to always be in (quarterback) LaNorris Sellers' face that game. He is somewhat limited, however, if he picks up a double team, due to his size."

Halton ran a 4.82 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine with a 36.5-inch vertical jump, an 8.09-second 3-cone drill and a 4.79 second 20-yard shuttle. Field told Packers Wire that he feels Halton is still ascending.


"Halton has great upside, and he's fairly agile for a defensive tackle," Field said. "His steady improvement is encouraging, as many college defensive tackles peak too early. I firmly believe that Halton is one of the more underrated players in this draft class and will be a low-risk, high-reward type of player."



Perseverance


Halton is unlike the first three picks the 49ers made in the draft -- WR De'Zhaun Stribling, EDGE Romello Height, and RB Kaelon Black, all of whom transferred to at least one location in college. Halton decided to stay at Oklahoma for four seasons, developing into an impact player after two seasons as a reserve. After moving from defensive end to defensive tackle and playing in 21 games as a backup in 2022 and 2023, during which he totaled 21 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, Halton started ten of the 26 games he played as a junior and senior and racked up 63 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, ten hurries, and 13 tackles for loss.

"I've seen a commitment," Oklahoma defensive coordinator Zac Alley said early in Halton's 2024 season, via SI.com. "Everybody wants just a ready-made product all the time. You know, a guy shows up, he's got this, he's supposed to do all these things. And the reality is it takes work. It takes work to be great. It takes work to consistently improve every day, and he's a guy that's bought into the work. Throughout the summer, man, he got stronger, he gained weight, he did every thing he needed to mentally to get prepared. And then you watch him in camp and you sit there and you're like, 'Yep, this is what we expected.' "

"When things get hard, you've got to overcome," Halton said Saturday. "When adversity hits you, you've got to find another way to overcome what you need to do. When things got hard at Oklahoma, I just kept on going."


Some fun high school highlights


Halton played his high school ball at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, where he was a four-star recruit who originally committed to Oregon before switching to Oklahoma. He did more than just play defense in high school -- he caught passes as well, and ran over some unlucky defenders in the process. Watch below:


Halton also ran some track. Here he is running the 100, where he clocked in at 11.8 seconds (h/t stormininnorman.com):


"I played quarterback in middle school, eighth grade. I was linebacker and had a little safety. Balboa Raiders. San Diego, California," Halton said in 2024, per SI.com. " … Oh yeah. I was an athlete 'til I got to high school. Yeah, I played quarterback, defensive end, linebacker. When I got to high school, I played tight end. I had nine touchdowns my senior year. So yeah, I'm an athlete."

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