2019 NFL Draft: Ranking the San Francisco 49ers’ top 5 NFL mock drafts
By Chris Wilson
2019 NFL Draft: 49ers mock draft option No. 2
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell places the San Francisco 49ers “on the clock” soon after 9 p.m. ET on April 25, 2019, trading the No. 2 pick would be the safest move for Lynch and Shanahan to make.
If the Cardinals select Bosa first overall and the 49ers find a willing trade partner, trading the Niners’ valuable second selection is the best long-term decision for the franchise. January draft boards will hardly resemble the draft boards on the first night of the 2019 NFL Draft, but unless another top option emerges, the smart move for San Francisco is to trade back in order to acquire additional draft capital.
The 49ers will be expected to show significant progress during the upcoming season, but the team isn’t in “win now” mode quite yet. Since their six-year contracts are fully guaranteed, Lynch and Shanahan shouldn’t be concerned with job security for at least another year:
I've heard John Lynch also has the same deal--no offset. Major concession by the Yorks. https://t.co/MxL7lbL2Hh
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 24, 2017
Thus, the two decision-makers know they’ll be around to reap the benefits of any trade that nets the team additional picks in future drafts. This fact opens the door for the 49ers to work with teams that have few tradable picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, and will also be an asset in draft negotiations since NFL teams — including those that use fixed draft pick value charts — devalue future draft picks.
After two years of playing fast and loose with their draft capital, including unnecessarily trading multiple picks for “must-have” players who failed to pan out, San Francisco is no longer flush with draft picks this year. With numerous roster holes to fill, the 49ers would be wise to cash in on their early selection by trading it for a bevy of picks over the next two years — provided the following player isn’t available: