SF 49ers: Ranking 5 best trades under John Lynch

With four years done in the SF 49ers’ John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan era, Niner Noise looks at the five best trades made under their control.

The SF 49ers have not been shy to move around and make moves when they seem necessary.

Trades such as that for current quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, moving up in the NFL Draft on several different occasions, pushing the chips in when necessary, general manager John Lynch and the Niners are willing to make moves when they seem fit.

Not all these moves have worked out, however, and quite a few are worth reconsidering as good or bad. But despite these outliers, the Niners have also made some substantial moves that have set themselves up for success in the future.

Here are five trades that have been the best done by Lynch since his tenure began in 2017. They all might not be the most impactful, but they are either the best value or the shrewdest moves San Francisco’s brass has made.

One trade noting as an honorable mention is the 2017 trade for Garoppolo. The decision was a smart one, a flier on a potential signal-caller of the future with the cost of only a second-round draft pick. The reason it doesn’t make the top five is partially the uncertainty with Garoppolo’s future and additionally because there wasn’t much nuance to the trade. There was no additional way to recoup value or even a real steal that happened.

The Niners pounced on an opportunity that presented itself to them.

That’s a smart move, but the moves ranked herein have some hidden element to them that show why, when grading the front office, they should be ranked higher.