Who is Gracen Halton? 49ers rookie suffers devastating injury against Raiders, carted off in emotional scene

Despite their resounding 38-17 win against the Las Vegas Raiders in their Sunday night game, the San Francisco 49ers faced a tragic situation when rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton sustained an ankle injury near the end of the game. The 22-year-old player was forced to exit the game due to the severity of his injury. All the 49ers players came together and surrounded Halton prior to him being taken away from the game. Unfortunately, the game that was supposed to be a highlight in his first season playing in the NFL ended up being a low point, especially since Halton will be out for the rest of the season.

WHO IS GRACEN HALTON? EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE 49ERS ROOKIE

Gracen Halton is a 22-year-old defensive tackle playing for the San Francisco 49ers. Gracen was born on January 27, 2004, in San Diego, California. After attending St. Augustine High School, he joined the University of Oklahoma where he grew into an impressive defensive prospect.

Representing Oklahoma from 2022 to 2025, Halton had 84 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 47 games. This outstanding performance got Halton the Second-Team All-SEC in 2025. Halton was picked by the 49ers in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, with the 107th overall pick.

The young defender got off to a promising start in his professional career with two sacks and one forced fumble in his first season until his untimely injury Sunday.

WHAT HAPPENED TO GRACEN HALTON? EMOTIONAL SCENES UNFOLD

Halton got hurt near the end of Sunday's game, spoiling what had been a great game up until then for him. According to the New York Post, Halton's teammates rallied around the injured rookie, including the head coach Kyle Shanahan, as he received medical attention on the field.

Medical personnel used an air cast to immobilize his left leg before helping him onto a cart. The players gathered around their injured teammate emphasized the fear associated with the incident.

The injury happened with 4 minutes 3 seconds to go in the fourth quarter when Halton made an attempt to penetrate the backfield and put pressure on Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had dropped back to pass. However, fate turned against him when his teammate Keion White fell on his leg, sending Halton crashing to the ground.



After the game, head coach Shanahan stated that Halton had broken his ankle and would be unable to play in the rest of the 2026 NFL season.

This is a big blow to both the player and the depth of the 49ers' defensive line. While the 49ers have won a good game, the loss of Halton poses yet another injury problem for the team.