3 reasons why SF 49ers must be ‘sellers’ at 2020 NFL trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers are short on NFL Draft picks, rookie contracts
Taking the focus away from this season and looking at 2021, there’s another good reason why John Lynch might want to consider being a seller at the NFL trade deadline.
Currently, after trading for left tackle Trent Williams during this year’s NFL Draft, San Francisco is equipped with just six selections in the 2021 draft — each of its own picks, minus a third-round selection sent off to Washington in exchange for Williams. There’s a good chance the SF 49ers get a compensatory pick for the loss of Emmanuel Sanders in free agency last offseason, but that won’t be determined until the spring of 2021.
Lynch’s trade block can be predictable or surprising, and feel free to look at any players you think might be available on the open market.
light. Related Story. 3 players who should be on 49ers' trade block at deadline
Yet there’s another reason why it would be wise for the Niners to accrue some more draft capital.
Arguably just as important as it is to nab top talent via the draft, it’s arguably more important to have players playing on their rookie contracts. Case in point, the SF 49ers are still getting standout players like linebacker Fred Warner, EDGE Nick Bosa and wide receiver Deebo Samuel playing on their rookie deals for the immediate future. But their inevitable extensions aren’t going to come cheap, meaning reinforcements to bolster other areas of the roster need to be on those cheaper rookie deals.
That’s where the value of NFL Draft picks truly reside, and San Francisco needs more of them.