49ers Snag Disruptive DT Gracen Halton in Surprise 4th-Round NFL Draft Steal

San Francisco—The 49ers fortified their interior pass rush on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Gracen Halton with the 107th overall pick, the franchise’s first choice of the fourth round. Halton, a 6-foot-2, 292-pound disruptor from San Diego, arrives in the Bay Area after a breakout senior season in Norman that featured 33 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a defensive touchdown while anchoring Brent Venables’ front four. Those numbers capped a steady four-year climb in which he logged 30 stops and five sacks in 2024 before earning a coveted Senior Bowl invite. The athletic upside that tantalized scouts was on full display at the NFL Scouting Combine: Halton posted a position-best 36.5-inch vertical leap and ripped off a 4.82-second 40-yard dash—elite testing for a near-300-pound interior lineman. His short-area quickness and violent hands project him as an immediate rotational piece in defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen’s attack, where he’ll compete with incumbent tackles Javon Kinlaw and T.Y. McGill for snaps alongside All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa. Beyond the measurables, Halton’s tape shows a relentless motor and scheme versatility. Oklahoma deployed him everywhere from shaded nose to 5-tech, and he consistently won with first-step explosion, allowing him to penetrate gaps and disrupt backfields before plays developed. That skill set meshes perfectly with San Francisco’s attacking, one-gap philosophy that asks linemen to shoot gaps and collapse the pocket. The pick also continues the 49ers’ recent trend of investing mid-round capital in athletic defensive linemen; Halton becomes the sixth front-seven selection in the last three drafts as general manager John Lynch reloads a unit that finished top-five in sacks in 2025. For Halton, the landing spot offers a chance to learn from tackle Arik Armstead while contributing on early down run fits and sub-package pass-rush packages. Halton is the third Sooner drafted this weekend and the latest example of Oklahoma’s pipeline to the pros, giving the Big 12 powerhouse three defensive linemen drafted in the past two years. With his blend of twitch, power and proven production, the rookie could emerge as one of the draft’s best value picks if he translates that explosiveness to NFL Sundays.