2020 NFL Draft: 5 teams who could trade for 49ers first-round pick
By Peter Panacy
There’s good speculation the San Francisco 49ers will try trading out of the No. 31 overall spot in the 2020 NFL Draft, and these five teams could be interested.
The San Francisco 49ers will certainly explore trading out of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft this April.
After general manager John Lynch made trades last season for EDGE Dee Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos, the Niners are now armed with just the No. 31 overall pick between Rounds 1 and 4, not scheduled to pick again until two selections in Round 5.
On the positive side of things, San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of offseason needs. But with just over $13 million in projected cap space, according to Over the Cap, it’s going to be important for Lynch and Co. to find some first-year players capable of contributing nicely on their respective rookie contracts.
The MMQB’s Albert Breer suggested the 49ers could be prime trade-down candidates in this year’s draft, writing:
"Looking forward at the 49ers’ offseason, thanks to the Dee Ford and Emmanuel Sanders trades, John Lynch and Co. have no picks between the first and fifth rounds. That alone makes them a prime trade-down candidate at 31, and they could have suitors coming up to get the fifth-year option on a young QB (as Minnesota did in 2014 with Teddy Bridgewater and Baltimore did in 2018 with Lamar Jackson)."
As Breer mentioned, and Niner Noise broke down here, this offseason could be rife with teams tripping over each other for quarterbacks. It’s something Niner Noise also discussed here, and how the offseason quarterback carousel pans out will have a lot to do about the potential trade-down market.
It’s also important to remember quarterback values almost always increase between the NFL Combine and the draft itself.
The Niners can take advantage of that, especially if one of these five teams calls and wants to offer up a lucrative trade package.