The 49ers will enter the 2019 draft with only six picks to work with, and a number of roster holes to fill. Six picks isn’t bad in a vacuum, but it limits the 49ers’ ability to maneuver up the board without further limiting their total selections. There is a way their outlook in terms of the value of their draft picks swings dramatically.
San Francisco brass have made it clear that a trade out of the No. 2 overall pick is a distinct possibility if the correct offer arises. We’ve also seen them move up from the second round to the back end of Round 1 in two of the last three drafts. Could the 49ers wind up like their Bay Area counterparts and pick three times in the first round?
It’s an unlikely scenario, but one worth exploring given the potential value of the No. 2 overall pick.
There are several teams who could conceivably want to jump up and scoop up a quarterback with the second pick, especially if Arizona’s interest in Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall was a well-executed smoke screen that fooled everyone. If the entire slate of quarterbacks in what appears to be a thin 2019 class is available when the 49ers are on the clock, their phone may become the busiest in the league.
Three teams own multiple first-round picks in this year’s draft. The Giants and Packers each have two. The Raiders own three. Green Bay has pick Nos. 12 and 30, so it’s unlikely they’ll be in the running.
One potential scenario involves New York – the team who wanted the No. 2 pick in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr. They wound up with the No. 17 pick while dealing Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. They also own the No. 6 selection.
The Giants may want to pull the trigger on a trade for a franchise quarterback to groom prior to Eli Manning’s eventual exit. Waiting around until the sixth pick is risky if they want a top-end signal caller, especially with two teams, the Raiders and Buccaneers, ahead of them that could take a quarterback.
San Francisco could part with Nos. 2 and 177, while acquiring Nos. 6, 17, 172 and a future fifth. That gives the 49ers a fifth-round pick to work with when they try and jump back into the Round 1. Green Bay and their No. 30 pick may be the perfect candidate for the 49ers to target in a trade up.
It’s important to note that part of the reason the Giants wouldn’t trade Beckham to San Francisco was because of San Francisco’s desire to get New York’s first-round pick in the deal. The Giants wouldn’t budge on keeping their No. 6 pick and holding two first-round selections. Packaging both of those to move up to the spot they could’ve gotten to in a Beckham trade doesn’t seem like a prudent move, but it’s hard to put anything past the Giants’ front office at this point.
The Raiders are worth watching when surveying a 49ers trade back as well since they hold three Round 1 picks. San Francisco could package the second pick with a sixth-rounder, and receive pick Nos. 4, 27, 141 and a future fifth from Oakland. That leaves Oakland with two firsts, including the No. 2 overall choice, while giving San Francisco Nos. 4 and 27 to go along with the flexibility of moving into the first a few spots after their second Round 1 pick.
Oakland may hesitate to do business with San Francisco, something John Lynch believes played a role in the 49ers’ failure to acquire Khalil Mack from the Raiders when he was on the trading block. On the other hand, they have the draft capital to fly up to No. 2 and take a big swing for a franchise player who could ostensibly replace Mack.
A trade back from No. 2 for the 49ers could certainly be in the cards. They’re making it known any time media are present that they’re open to a trade back. Perhaps they’re trying to stir up interest and drive up the asking price of the pick. Maybe they’re keeping their options open in case Nick Bosa goes No. 1 overall.
It’s a pretty extreme long shot, but a trade back could mean the 49ers gathering multiple first-round picks in 2019, and given their penchant for trading up into the back of Round 1 from Round 2, three picks on Day 1 isn’t completely out of the question. And they wouldn’t even have to trade two of their best players to do it.
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