Should the 49ers trade down in 2019 NFL Draft for Odell Beckham Jr?

With the San Francisco 49ers holding the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, should they make a trade down with the New York Giants for Odell Beckham Jr.?

It’s no secret that the San Francisco 49ers will be looking to add some depth to their wide receiver corps this offseason. With slim pickings in free agency, the most likely option will be securing a top receiver with their high Round 2 pick, No. 36 overall, in the 2019 NFL Draft.

However, while the buzz around Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown joining the 49ers is dying down, the talk surrounding New York Giants star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. has remained open.

Adding further fuel to the fire around a Beckham trade is Tim Kawakami from The Athletic (subscription required), who in a recent article, proposed a trade between the 49ers and Giants. This trade would involve the Niners trading their No. 2 overall pick to the Giants, plus some additional picks, in return for Beckham and the Giants’ No. 6 overall pick:

"So looking at it practically, the 49ers could be looking at adding Beckham in a potential trade with the Giants involving the No. 2 pick (probably a swap for the Giants’ No. 6 overall pick and maybe the 49ers toss in a second-rounder and a little more) to give Shanahan an incredible playmaker to team up with Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle. (This would give the Giants a shot at Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins to team with tailback Saquon Barkley.)"

Now firstly, would such a trade be possible and, if so, is it worth relinquishing the No. 2 overall pick? And secondly, for the 49ers to pull off this trade, the Giants would have to be open to parting ways with Beckham in the first place.

Something, per Judy Battista, that Giants’ general manager Dave Gettleman isn’t open to:

Beckham’s raw talent and tremendous ability with the ball make him one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. There’s no disputing that, if he were to wear the red and gold, he would add tremendous value to the 49ers’ attack. Teaming him with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would make for an exciting duo, not to mention a big increase in the 49ers capability to pose a real threat down the field.

Personally, I would love to have Beckham on the team should he become available. At 26 years of age, he still has a long career ahead of him and could be a long-term solution at receiver for the 49ers.

Not to mention the production that he brings along with him. Beckham finished 2018 with 1,052 yards from 77 receptions, averaging 13.7 yards per reception and four touchdowns. He has surpassed 1,000 yards in four out of his five seasons, only missing out on one occasion due to injury.

The Giants will also be in need of a quarterback sooner rather than later, and may look to the 2019 NFL Draft to go after Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, if the Arizona Cardinals take Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick.

A trade up with the 49ers would allow the Giants to grab one of the better quarterbacks in the draft, something that Gettleman wouldn’t close the door on:

Kawakami continued, throwing to the other side of the argument should the 49ers decide to hold onto their pick at No. 2 and draft a much-needed player at EDGE:

"Or the 49ers could just sit back and take advantage of the understandable excitement over quarterback Kyler Murray, which very possibly will push Bosa out of Arizona’s No. 1 slot. No doubt, drafting Bosa would fill the 49ers’ even greater need for a dominant edge rusher to team with DeForest Buckner’s inside push and the young players at linebacker and in the secondary."

While if the 49ers were to trade back in order to secure Odell Beckham, they would likely miss out on Ohio Stade EDGE Nick Bosa. However, in a draft filled with great players at EDGE, a pick at No. 6 would still likely secure the Niners a great player.

And if Bosa does go No. 1 overall, more and more people are saying the 49ers should look at trading down to gain more draft capital anyway. So, is trading with the Giants for Beckham any different?

There’s the possibility that Kentucky’s Josh Allen would still be available and Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat would definitely still be there. Now while both players are not in Bosa’s league, they are still very skilled players and would solve the 49ers’ problem at the position. After Sweat’s impressive display at the NFL Scouting Combine, his draft stock is also likely to rise.

So, to trade or not to trade? That is the question. At the end of the day, it will come down to whether both 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch believe trading away their No. 2 pick is a worthy option in order to secure Beckham.

Or, they already have their eyes locked onto a receiver in the draft and won’t pursue Beckham at all.

Whichever way the 49ers decide to go, draft or trade, they should have a great receiver for 2019.