Quick Fixing the 49ers: 5 Bold Roster Moves for the 2017 Offseason

Trade Back for Christian McCaffrey

Bay Area sports fans are well aware of McCaffrey and his phenomenally diverse skill set. A combination running back, slot receiver and explosive return man, he is the ideal Swiss Army knife for a talent-starved roster like the 49ers.

McCaffrey is most remembered for his sophomore year at Stanford, where he posted an eye-popping 3,864 yards and 15 total touchdowns, breaking the college single-season yardage record previously held by Barry Sanders.

However, his 2016 season was nothing to sneeze at either: 2,327 yards and a career-best 16 TDs.

The Niners need a special teams stand-out like nobody’s business. WR Bruce Ellington is a bust, veteran Jeremy Kerley is merely average in this capacity, and nothing about their current return game is even the slightest bit inspiring (special teams ranked No. 17 overall by Football Outsiders, with negative scores for both punt and kick returns).

Adding McCaffrey gives the Niners a truly electric threat in the “forgotten phase” of the game. Moreover, consider his potential as a slot receiver: think a quicker, bigger-bodied Julian Edelman. Of course, he could also be worked into the backfield, either to spell lead runner Carlos Hyde or as a dual threat in his own right.

And we know how much the 49ers like drafting players from “The Tree.”

Romo, Jeffrey, McCaffrey… this offense is already lightyears ahead of the squad that took the field last season.

But, beyond the obvious infusion of talent that McCaffrey embodies, he also brings something equally juicy with him in this scenario: picks.

McCaffrey is currently mocked to move somewhere between 15 and 20 in the draft. That means the 49ers would have plenty of potential trading partners and likely rake in a fistful of picks in an exchange.

Here are the teams that currently hold the picks in that range, many of which could use a top five pick to bolster their respective rosters:

Virtually all of these teams could benefit from a move to No. 2, and San Francisco is, of course, not limited to trading with just these teams.

If, for example, the New Orleans Saints want to bound to the top of the board in order to nab their perceived heir apparent to Drew Brees, the 49ers could still grab McCaffrey at No. 11 and a bounty of picks, or trade back twice for even more draft juice.

Last year’s trade by Philadelphia for the No. 2 pick (used to select QB Carson Wentz) yielded the Cleveland Browns the No. 8 overall pick, plus a third and fourth round pick in that same draft. In addition, the Browns’ haul included Philly’s 2017 first round pick and their second rounder in 2018.

That’s the sort of future talent bank that San Francisco desperately needs.

Assuming that the 49ers are able to broker a similar deal, they will have plenty of trade stock for our fourth quick fix.