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HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 27: Houston Cougars place kicker Ethan Sanchez (92) kicks for an extra point in the second quarter during the Kinder's Texas Bowl between the LSU Tigers and Houston Cougars on December 27,2025 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The San Francisco 49ers are less than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft, where they currently hold six picks, including four in the fourth round.
After a quality offseason so far that included a couple of key signings in free agency and a trade for starting defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, the 49ers are in a good place entering the draft with just a few needs left on the board.
With the draft coming up, now is usually the time that visits start to take place with top draft targets, and six have been reported so far by CBS Sports: Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke, Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston, SMU wide receiver Jordan Hudson, and Texas Tech wide receiver KC Concepcion.
Wide receiver has been a big focus for the 49ers on these visits, which is interesting as the team added both Mike Evans and Christian Kirk at the position in free agency. But, wide receiver could be the best player available at No. 27 and the 49ers are doing their homework.
It seems the 49ers are doing their homework across the board, though, as NFL reporter Aaron Wilson revealed that San Francisco is among the teams to have shown interest in Houston Cougars kicker Ethan Sanchez, who was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist last season and an All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Additionally, fellow reporter Ryan Fowler shared that the 49ers have shown extensive interest in Sanchez, who competed at Houston’s Pro Day and was 9 of 12 on field goal attempts.
“The Eagles, Commanders, Falcons and 49ers have shown extensive interest in Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez, per sources,” Fowler tweeted.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise, given that the 49ers extended Eddy Piniero on a four-year, $17 million deal with $10 million in guarantees. Now, the contract wasn’t market-setting by any means, but it is still a very respectable deal for a kicker that was 28 of 29 on field goals in 2025.
Piniero’s 2026 and 2027 compensation is fully guaranteed, so it seems unreasonable for the 49ers to get out of his deal before then. So perhaps it really is just due diligence on Sanchez, who was 21 of 26 on the year in 2025.
But, the fact that multiple reporters are sharing the 49ers’ interest is pretty noteworthy.
