Niner Noise
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3 trade-down scenarios for 49ers in Round 1 of 2020 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

Commissioner Roger Goodell with San Francisco 49ers #10 draft pick Michael Crabtree (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Commissioner Roger Goodell with San Francisco 49ers #10 draft pick Michael Crabtree (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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Clelin Ferrell, Philip Rivers, Raiders, Chargers
Clelin Ferrell #96 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Chargers Get a Quarterback, but Need to Protect Him

ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s report the Los Angeles Chargers were moving on from veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, thereby allowing him to hit free agency, all but guaranteed the team will be looking for a signal-caller early in the NFL Draft.

Los Angeles owns the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, and it’s a prime spot to grab one of the top collegiate quarterbacks, perhaps someone like Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert.

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If Rivers would have stayed around another year or two, though, there’s little doubting offensive line would have been the Chargers’ next biggest priority.

The 2020 NFL Draft class is pretty top-heavy along the offensive line, meaning there could be some notable drop-offs from the upper echelon down to when L.A. drafts next, No. 37 overall in the second round. Plus, with a number of line-needy teams selecting ahead of the Chargers in Round 2 (ahem, the New York Giants), the 49ers could look to take advantage.

So, what would it take?

L.A. moving up from Round 2 to the No. 31 overall spot would leave 70 points needing to be made up, and the Chargers could sweeten the deal by offering up their fourth-round selection (No. 102) by tossing in a 2021 third-round pick, while the 49ers give back their own 2021 fourth rounder in a pick swap.

The Chargers have an earlier shot at a better offensive lineman to protect their new quarterback, while the Niners increase and improve their draft coffers, both in 2020 and the following year.

Next. Predicting which free agents 49ers re-sign in 2020. dark

Again, will any of these deals happen? It’s all speculation, which is what the NFL Draft is about between now and its opening on April 23, 2020.