2017 NFL Draft: Why It Will Be Hard for the 49ers to Trade Down in Round 1
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and many pundits want to see the Niners trade down to acquire more draft capital. But such a move is easier said than done.
OK, draft Twitter, it’s time to get a lesson on actual trades in the NFL Draft.
We know the San Francisco 49ers own the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. And they have a slew of positional needs in what promises to be a lengthy rebuild. In reality, the Niners need an entire Round 1 to get things back on track. Not just one pick.
So trading down from No. 2 overall to stockpile more picks — and ones of high value — makes sense, right?
San Francisco 49ers
Saying it should happen is one thing. Actually making it happen is an entirely different story.
First, let’s understand why trading down is a wise move and not altogether removed from possibility. Niner Noise’s Logan Stanley recently discussed five realistic trades that could happen leading up to late April when the 2017 draft starts.
It’s worth a look. And they aren’t exactly lopsided deals in San Francisco’s favor.
But the reality is different. “It takes two parties to tango,” or so the saying goes. Even if the Niners are willing, is someone else?
Draft-Trade Context
There’s a reason NFL trades rarely happen, especially the blockbuster ones. NFL teams covet draft picks like nothing else. They’re precious commodities.
Remember, the 49ers acquired former wide receiver Anquan Boldin for a sixth-round pick from the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. A sixth-round pick for one of the games more productive receivers.
Yes, we saw two blockbuster deals by the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles to grab quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively, in 2016. But the word “rare” can’t even begin to describe such cases.
Yet the above deals stress the only reason another team would want to move into the No. 2 slot this NFL Draft.
There would have to be a player some other franchise absolutely felt was a must-have guy. And said player certainly isn’t going to fall below San Francisco at second overall.
And it doesn’t help the generally viewed top-two prospects in this year’s draft class, Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and Alabama’s Jonathan Allen, head very deep EDGE and defensive line positions, respectively.
The Likelihood of a 49ers Trade
Slim. Not entirely out of the question, but slim.
There are two possibilities in play here. Both likely involve quarterbacks, although the first scenario would be the Cleveland Browns taking someone else other than Garrett. Perhaps North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky.
If that happens, how unlikely it may seem, another team — hey, Dallas Cowboys — could see Garrett as the prospect for which “selling the farm” makes sense.
Dallas is only mentioned because of this.
The other possibility still involves a quarterback, likely Trubisky. If the Niners don’t go with Trubisky at No. 2, the Chicago Bears could easily do so at No. 3.
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Trubisky would have to be a must-have prospect for a quarterback-hungry team this offseason. And it’s hard to view him as a guy for which teams would trip over themselves to draft.
It’s possible, sure. Just not likely.
So while we don’t necessarily need to cross off a trade down from San Francisco’s draft to-do list, we shouldn’t bank on it happening either.
Just don’t be disappointed in general manager John Lynch if he’s unable to make it happen.