A positional run could cause a trade up
You can tell when an analyst is faking their way through something and hasn’t really watched a player or a play. That’ll never be the case with ESPN’s Field Yates. Yates has been an ESPN insider for several years now but has recently focused more on the NFL Draft. In his latest mock draft, Yates had the San Francisco 49ers trading up with the Dallas Cowboys.
John Lynch and the front office haven’t been shy about trading up or down in the NFL Draft. There are a few plausible scenarios where the 49ers deem a player valuable enough to move up in the first round.
A positional run is at the top of the list. In the mock draft Yates put together, six offensive linemen were drafted in the top 20:
Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
Graham Barton, OL, Duke
Let’s say Kyle Shanahan, the coaching staff, and the scouting department agree that eight offensive linemen in this draft are worthy of a first-round pick. The drop-off after that is steep, and the Niners aren’t in the business of getting stuck with leftovers at a prominent position.
That’s how you end up at pick No. 24:
Projected trade: 49ers see an opportunity
It would be no surprise if the 49ers act swiftly to fortify their offensive line. I have them sending No. 31 and a third-rounder to the Cowboys for No. 24, giving them a chance to add a potential future star.
24. San Francisco 49ers (via mock trade with DAL)
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Mims is 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, and he has nearly 87 inches in wingspan and terrific footwork. He’s inexperienced with just 803 college snaps and eight starts, but after extending right tackle Colton McKivitz through 2024, San Francisco could afford to develop Mims this offseason and work him into the lineup as needed in Year 1. Mims would also be a potential succession plan to Trent Williams long term at left tackle.
The Niners know the Green Bay Packers, who are selecting at 25, want an offensive tackle. So they trade up for Mims with Tyler Guyton, Kingsley Suamatia, and Jordan Morgan as the other tackles on the board.
Mims is a mammoth of a man who possesses the highest ceiling of all tackles in the draft. He’ll inevitably have growing pains early as a rookie, but you can’t teach his mentality or raw power. Mims will need to play through his struggles to gain experience, but there’s more reward than risk for the 21-year-old.
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