2016 NFL Draft: Should the 49ers Stay Put at No. 7 or Trade Down?

The Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles’ trades to secure pick Nos. 1 and 2 in the 2016 NFL Draft likely gives the San Francisco 49ers’ own No. 7 pick more value. Should the Niners stay put, or is a trade of benefit?

Based on the recent breaking news trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers should strongly consider staying at the seventh spot in the 2016 NFL Draft.

There’s five potential reasons why the 49ers should stay put — offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, linebacker Myles Jack, defensive end DeForest Buckner, edge-rusher Joey Bosa and safety Jalen Ramsey.

As recently described earlier on Niner Noise’s Peter Panacy, the Eagles trade to No.2 shouldn’t affect 49ers draft plans.

This, unless the Tennessee Titans blow the 49ers away with an offer they can’t refuse — going back to the 15^th spot and picking up more picks. If that doesn’t happen, there’s a chance to select one of the remaining top-five potential draft prospects that could very well be still on the board with the No. 7 pick.

That’s the direction San Francisco should go, assuming there’s no more movement within the next four draft slots ahead of the 49ers and ,assuming of course, the Los Angeles Rams and Eagles do what most of the sports world expects them to — draft two quarterbacks, respectively.

The seventh overall pick, held by the 49ers, would definately hold value to a team like the Titans. It was recently reported Tennessee is trying to move back up in the draft, per Nunzio Ingrassia of Fox Sports.

According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson is trying to get back up in the top 10.

He’s moving back up,” one executive told the outlet. “He has the ammo to do it and it’s heading in that direction.”

If the 49ers don’t trade down and decide to stay at seven, here are five strong potential options at a glance:

Laremy Tunsil:

If Tunsil fell — and that’s a big if indeed — the 49ers couldn’t get to the podium fast enough. To say the 49ers need help on the offensive line would be an understatement, as this unit ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks allowed, per NFL.com.

Here’s Tunsil’s scouting report, courtesy of Sayre Bedinger of NFL Mocks:

"Shows quick feet, great effort, great hand usage and the ability to dominate opposing pass rushers.Potentially injury prone, broke his fibula against TCU in January of 2015 and was arrested and charged with domestic violence six months later. Can play to overly aggressive, and play to high at times."

Myles Jack:

First things first — Jack would give the 49ers a dynamic one-two punch not seen since the likes of Nos. 53 and 52 were together, otherwise known as linebacker NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, respectively. Jack can do it all: cover, tackle, rush the passer, play multiple positions and more.

There’s just one problem: his injury. Well, depending on who you believe, because La Canfora recently reported something different. In fact, disputing some of the rumors out there about Jacks knee.

Here’s Jack’s scouting report, courtesy of Erik Lambert of NFL Mocks:

"Times his blitzes really well, knifing into the backfield at just the right moment to have chances at stopping plays for losses.His size is a problem for certain linebacker positions. Lack of size and length will be question marks for some, as well as a lack of power. Injury that knocked him out of 2015 raises concerns about whether his smaller frame can handle linebacker in the NFL."

Jalen Ramsey: 

The first thing that jumps out at you about Ramsey is his scheme versatility. He’s a big corner, super athletic and physical. And defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil would have a field day coaching this prospect and would make his life a lot easier. He would give the coach the ability to match up against big wide receivers, tight ends with his ability to play more aggressive and relentless to the ball, as was recently described by Niner Noise.

He’s a playmaker, world athlete, intense competitor and has versatility to play multiple positions.

As far as his weaknesses, Ramsey lacks the ideal build and frame to be an NFL safety. If a team decides to play him at corner they’ll have to work on his man coverage skills. His issues are more fundamentally related, and being properly coached up, as far as technique goes, will correct these natural concerns.

Joey Bosa:

There’s talk about whether or not Bosa fits a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive scheme. Well, when you have a player this good, you find a way to make him fit your system. He’s relentless, violent at the point of attack, plays with passion and tenacity something the 49ers could use desperately and his presence could ignite a defense.

O’Neil would love a player who could get to, and put pressure on, the quarterback. 

First you have to recognize the size and strength of Bosa — violent hand punching, plays with flexibility and athleticism.

The most pressing issue and weakness is how he’s slow off the line of scrimmage. He jumps offsides multiple times in games. He needs to improve his inside moves when playing or rushing inside between guards and the center.

Deforest Buckner:

Head coach Chip Kelly and defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro, formerly of Oregon State, have ties to Buckner. He fits at 6’7″ and 290 pounds — just about the same to his former college teammate, and friend, Arik Armstead. His size, power and strength would give the 49ers a young gigantic duo which could be building blocks for the foreseeable future.

Buckner can play either end place in a 3-4 defense, left or right. This is important, given the recent surgery to nose tackle Ian Williams in the offseason.

Buckner has the versatility to also play defensive tackle. If Buckner is on the board at No. 7, the 49ers can’t get to the podium fast enough to send this pick in. This is the ideal fit out of these top five potential draft prospects. This is operation “No Brainer Pick.”

He’s surprisingly quick off the ball for his size. He’s strong, has incredible size can stop the run and has a go-to bull-rush move.

As a pass-rusher, Buckner is pretty raw. He has no moves outside of his bull rush. Because of his height, Buckner has issues playing too high — same as Armstead did last year as a rookie. The downside with all that height is it can cause you to lose leverage if you don’t use proper bending technique, and that’s something defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro will be sure to work with him on.

Next: 49ers Should Draft DeForest Buckner with Their First Pick

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