49ers should say ‘no’ to idea of trading for WR Odell Beckham Jr.
By Peter Panacy
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is reportedly on the trade block, and the San Francisco 49ers would be wise to steer clear of any such movement.
Amid some hefty shakeups, the New York Giants are reportedly shopping three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants are looking for two first-round NFL Draft picks as compensation.
The Ringer listed the San Francisco 49ers as one of the teams who could possibly benefit from Beckham’s presence. After all, the Niners now have a franchise-type quarterback under center, Jimmy Garoppolo, and employ one of the more successful offensive schemes in the league under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Heck, there are even odds out there listing San Francisco as a possible destination.
San Francisco 49ers
And with the Los Angeles Rams stockpiling big-name cornerbacks, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, it only makes sense the 49ers would want to add some equally imposing weapons to contend in the NFC West, right?
Not so fast.
True, at one point, the Niners wanted Beckham. That was back in 2014, though, when Beckham was a high-profile pick in that year’s NFL Draft. But that was multiple regimes ago.
Granted, Beckham’s numbers over three of the last four seasons have been superb. And who wouldn’t want a receiver who had more than 1,300 receiving yards his first three years in the league?
Yet there are things to consider here against it.
Is Odell Beckham a Game-Changer?
Name the last time an elite-level wide receiver led a team to a Super Bowl. Tough, isn’t it.
Sure, most teams would fancy the idea of having a Beckham-like wideout on the roster. But Shanahan’s offense is good enough to turn less-known receivers into bona fide playmakers. Heck, Marquise Goodwin was nearly a 1,000-yard receiver last season after never posting more than 431 yards in any one season.
And the reports San Francisco wasn’t in on then-free-agent wide receiver Allen Robinson suggest the front office was already happy enough with the talent on the roster.
Beckham could help the Niners. But not in the difference-maker variety.
Compensation the 49ers Would Have to Give Up
Two first-round draft picks. Yeah, that’s a lot.
If San Francisco had two picks in Round 1 of this year’s draft — the Niners currently own No. 9 overall — one might make the argument it would be worth shipping off one, plus a 2019 first rounder, in exchange.
That isn’t the case, though. And while the Niners are trending in the right direction, they still have plenty of holes to fill. Pair that with the idea the 49ers are content with their receiving corps, why sacrifice a top-10 target for a promising prospect (plus an additional first rounder next year) for a player with some question marks?
Speaking of those…
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The Right Kind of Player
Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have made strides to find the right kind of football characters, but it’s hard to view Beckham as that kind of player.
For instance, the infamous Miami boat trip ahead of the Giants’ Wild Card round matchup with the Green Bay Packers in 2016 — the one in which Green Bay trounced New York 38-13 with Beckham virtually a non-factor.
There were sideline tirades too, and it’s hard to constitute a Shanahan-Lynch tandem seriously eyeing someone of that persona.
OK, so the latter might be viewed as mere passion for the game. That’s fine. But when you mix it in with the other factors, both personality-wise and in terms of compensation, is it worth the move?
Next: Speculating 49ers' biggest position battles in training camp
No. It’s not.