The 49ers will set about bolstering a Super Bowl-caliber roster on Friday, when they are scheduled to make three selections in the third round of the NFL Draft, but their path through the NFC looks to have grown more difficult following the first day of selections in Kansas City.

San Francisco saw the quality of its major in-division rival and the team that defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game improve as both the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles enjoyed impressive first rounds.

Seattle struck gold with pick five and the 20th overall selection, landing Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Witherspoon gives the Seahawks a fluid and physical corner who excels at making plays at the catch point and brings an aggressive playing style that has arguably been lacking from the Seattle secondary. He had three interceptions and 14 pass breakups in his final season at Illinois.

Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, is an exceptionally smooth and creative route-runner who tracks the ball superbly and adds yards after catch upside. Likely to play predominantly slot at the next level, he can form a formidable trio with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and help Geno Smith continue to thrive after his Comeback Player of the Year season in 2022.

The Seahawks were swept by the 49ers in the regular season and routed by San Francisco in the Wild Card round. Witherspoon improves Seattle’s odds of defending San Francisco’s star-studded offense while Smith-Njigba presents a potentially significant problem for a vaunted defense that lost Emmanuel Moseley and Jimmie Ward from the secondary in free agency.

San Francisco will still be the favourite to successfully defend its NFC West title in 2023, but a bigger problem for the 49ers may be toppling the team that ultimately ended their Super Bowl hopes last season.

The conference title game may have been effectively decided on the 49ers’ first offensive series as Brock Purdy suffered a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in the elbow on his throwing arm, but the Eagles’ additions of Georgia pair Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith with the ninth and 30th picks will make a defensive front that gave the Niners significant problems in January even more difficult to stop.

Smith, considered by many to be the steal of the first round, had 15 tackles for loss in his final two seasons with Bulldogs.

Of course, the 49ers have one of the best rosters in football themselves and boosted their excellent defensive line by signing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Eagles in the headline move of San Francisco’s offseason.

And, given their recent history of unearthing contributors with mid and late-round picks, the Niners will be confident of improving their roster despite a lack of premium capital.

Still, there is a case to be made that the Seahawks have closed the gap and the Eagles have grown an even larger obstacle with their respective first-round moves that should make them better now and in the future. If nothing else, the strides they look to have made with their top choices reiterate the importance of the 49ers taking advantage of this Super Bowl window as soon as possible.