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2016 NFL Draft: 5 Bold Predictions for the San Francisco 49ers

By Peter Panacy

Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers Trade Out of Round 1 Altogether

OK, so this is really bold.

Why in all likelihood would general manager Trent Baalke trade out of Round 1 entirely? The best value in the NFL draft can be found within the first 10 picks, right? How often do teams net top-10 selections each year? It’s not often.

But let’s think out of the box for a moment here. As stated, the 49ers are a team in need of plenty of talent across the board. And this rebuild phase isn’t going to happen in one season regardless of what the optimists may think.

Adding to the problem is the real chance a sizable portion of draft picks don’t pan out at the NFL level. What’s the average length of an NFL career these days? Just over three years? And what’s the percentage of draft prospects who actually become something of value at the pro level?

Going back to our Walter Football draft value chart, we can see the Niners’ first pick in Round 1 is worth 1,500 points. Do the math, and you can come up with an infinite number of scenarios in which general manager Trent Baalke nets additional picks — some in this year’s draft and others for next year.

Who knows? Perhaps the 2017 draft class will be one of those laden with so much talent that a team could only wish to have 10-plus picks.

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Tack on the fact this year’s NFL draft class, on the defensive side of the ball, is deep. So the 49ers may be able to steal away some mid-to-late-round finds at a great value.

It’s bold. Very bold. But that’s what this article is about.

Next: Carson Wentz shines in Pro Day

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.