3 biggest reasons to worry about the 49ers in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Limited Resources in the 2020 NFL Draft
One of the best ways to overcome eventual losses in NFL free agency is to supplement them with excellent NFL Draft picks.
John Lynch has had a so-so track record in his limited time as general manager, hitting home runs on players like George Kittle, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, EDGE Nick Bosa, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. But Lynch has also had some major misses, most notably defensive end Solomon Thomas and linebacker Reuben Foster back in Round 1 of the 2017 draft.
In 2020, however, Lynch’s stockpile of picks will be limited, as the team traded away its second-round pick for EDGE Dee Ford and then dished out a third- and fourth-round pick for Emmanuel Sanders.
That leaves just one selection, No. 31 overall, for San Francisco in the first four rounds of April’s draft.
There are a few consolation pieces here, namely the idea the 49ers don’t have a ton of roster needs, Lynch could trade down and the Niners have hit on day-three picks plenty of times the past few years.
Still, the Niners don’t currently have the means to land some younger, cheaper talent on rookie deals, which will ultimately put more pressure on both the team’s depth and established starters this upcoming season.