Niner Noise
FanSided

2017 NFL Draft: 49ers Should Trade No. 2 Pick

By Logan Stanley

Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

It’s NFL Draft season, and with that comes the whirlwind of rumors regarding trades. Right now, there’s reportedly interest between the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers in a trade at the Nos. 8 and 2 selections. The 49ers would be wise to execute that trade.

The upcoming draft for the 49ers is of heightened importance as it’s the new regime’s first crack at a draft class and they own the No. 2 overall pick.

Being at the top of the draft, teams are always going to gain interest from other teams below them inquiring about moving up.

The draft rumors are swirling, and the biggest one going around right now is that the Carolina Panthers are interested in moving up from No. 8 to the 49ers pick at No. 2.

Drew Boylhart of The Huddle Report is reporting that the Panthers are seeking help on the defensive side:

With Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett likely off the board by No. 2, that leaves a select group of players the Panthers could be targeting. There’s Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas, Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, LSU safety Jamal Adams and the Alabama duo of defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and linebacker Reuben Foster.

There’s also the chance that Carolina is intrigued by LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who would be used to help ease the colossal of a burden quarterback Cam Newton currently carries.

The 49ers should execute the trade.

With no-clear cut prospect behind Garrett, there’s no need for San Francisco to be stingy with the No. 2 pick. And since there’s no clarity on who’s ranked after Garrett, the pool of players the 49ers are looking at is larger than usual — making the likelihood greater they can select a player thought about taking at No. 2, but at the No. 8 spot.

Not only can San Francisco grab a player it might have originally wanted at a better value, the team can do so while also building for the future.

Teams assign values to draft picks to place a quantifiable number next to it in order to work out trades. Using Pro Football Talk’s draft trade chart, this how a potential trade might pan out between the two franchises:

  • At No. 2, the 49ers pick value is 2,600.
  • At No. 8, the Panthers pick value is 1,400.
    • A deficit of 1,200 has to be made up for.
  • Panthers trade a 2018 first-round pick (~3,000-590) and a 2018 second-round pick (~580-270) to the 49ers their 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 fifth-round pick (~43-27.4).

Say the Panthers select as the No. 21 (Detroit Lions are selecting at No. 22 this draft) team in next year’s draft. That would put their pick at a value of 800, and with their projected second-round pick (at No. 53), the value would be 370. That’s a combined value of 1,170, making the trade justifiable in terms of swapping picks.

More from Niner Noise

So, the 49ers not only could make the trade even in terms of potential value, they would be doing it while gaining an additional first-round pick next year as well as moving up from the fifth-round to the second-round, and still select a player in this draft that’s a top prospect.

Who might that prospect be?

Hooker and Adams could still be left there at No. 8, and that would be a win for the 49ers considering some mocks have them taking either one of the two at No. 2.

Foster still could be there as well. If those three were all gone, there’s Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett, Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey (which buzz is building that the 49ers are interested in him).

Next: 49ers: A Defense in the Mold of a Rival, Part 1 — the 4-3 Defense

Although there is no real traction on the trade rumor yet, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports, the fact remains nonetheless that it would be advantageous for the 49ers to trade back in this year’s draft.

Still getting a top player while stockpiling draft picks is a win-win in Santa Clara.