Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft is upon us, and the San Francisco 49ers are in the driver’s seat at No. 33 after trading back twice in the first round.
Heading into the draft, there were rumblings that the 49ers were looking to trade back, and that was confirmed on Thursday night, as general manager John Lynch said the framework of their first trade with the Miami Dolphins was in place before the trade. Once San Francisco’s targets went off the board, they pulled the trigger and moved back to No. 30.
Then, rather than picking in the first round, the 49ers moved back to No. 33 with the New York Jets, getting a fifth-round pick to get out of the round entirely.
So, the 49ers moved back six spots and moved up 48 spots from No. 138 to No. 90, while picking up an extra fifth-round at No. 179.
Heading into Friday, San Francisco has seven draft picks: No. 33, No. 58, No. 90, No. 127, No. 133, No. 139, and No. 179. They’re much more well-rounded in the draft after their moves on Thursday, and still likely have the players they may have thought about at No. 27 on the board at No. 33.
But, with the first pick in the second round, the 49ers are in control, as there are already teams looking to move up. Another trade back could give San Francisco additional draft capital, which could armor a future move in the middle rounds.
So, with the 49ers on the clock soon, let’s look at three potential trade-back packages at No. 33 for the 49ers to consider.
49ers trade back with Raiders to No. 36
The Raiders are loaded with draft capital, holding nine more picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including several in the middle rounds.
They’ve also got a lot of needs and can take their top target remaining at No. 33, while still being in great shape for the rest of the draft.
San Francisco currently has ample capital in the fourth round, but adding another could lead to a bigger move up back into the end of Day 2, or provide another chance to add a starting-caliber player in a draft full of them.
Looking at the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, here’s what a trade could look like:
Las Vegas receives: No. 33
San Francisco receives: No. 36, No. 134, No. 208
Here, the 49ers get a slight premium for holding a valuable asset at No. 33 and move back only three spots, where at least one of their targets should still be there.
For reference, some players still on the board include safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, wide receiver Denzel Boston, cornerback Jermod McCoy, edge rusher Cashius Howell, guard Chase Bisontis, and others. There are plenty of players that fall in this range that San Francisco could covet.
San Francisco gets another fourth-round pick, while also adding a sixth-rounder in a draft where they don’t have a sixth or seventh-round pick.
49ers trade back with Giants to No. 37
The New York Giants are a team reportedly looking to move up, with reports revealing they were even looking into getting in the back of the first round.
After not selecting a wide receiver in the first round, Washington’s Denzel Boston could be an ideal trade-up target, with the Giants moving ahead of the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills to take him.
There is also expected to be an early run on defensive tackles, and the Giants could trade up to get their choice of the options available. What could a trade look like?
Looking at the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, a realistic move could be this:
New York receives: No. 33, No. 127, No. 179
San Francisco receives: No. 37, No. 105, No. 186
In this trade, the 49ers use one of their fourth-rounders to move up 22 spots near the top of the fourth round, while sliding back from the end of the fifth to the beginning of the sixth.
This trade gets San Francisco another draft pick, while putting them in a better spot to potentially trade back into the third round from No. 105 if a target of theirs is there at the end of Day 2.
49ers trade with Steelers
The Steelers are another team reportedly aggressively looking to trade up, and it makes sense why. Wide receiver was a need for Pittsburgh on Day 1, but they selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor instead.
With Denzel Boston on the board, Pittsburgh could look to move up to the top of the second round, jumping several needy teams like the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and others.
This would be a bold move for the 49ers, who move 20 spots back in the second round, but one that could very well pay off. Here’s what a trade could look like:
Pittsburgh receives: No. 33
San Francisco receives: No. 53, No. 76, No. 161, 2027 fifth-round pick
The 49ers get a surplus here for moving far back in a class that isn’t considered as deep on Day 3, but they set themselves up well to add an extra starting-caliber player while gaining future capital.
Evaluators have mentioned that teams view the players projected on Day 2 and early Day 3 in a similar capacity with a lot of starting-caliber players, and the 49ers have shown the willingness to move back for extra picks.
In this situation, they pick up a valuable third-round pick, an extra fifth-round pick, and a 2027 draft pick, as the Steelers have two future fifths next year.
Pittsburgh isn’t missing out much here. They’ve got Nos. 85, 99, 121, and 135, even with this trade, which makes sense why they’re being aggressive to move up.
The 49ers could even ask for more here, getting another fourth-rounder while sending back their late fifth-rounder, but this is another deal to consider for a very different reason.
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