SF 49ers: 3 trade-downs John Lynch may engineer for NFL Draft

John Lynch and the SF 49ers have never been afraid to trade down in the NFL Draft, and the No. 12 overall pick in 2020 could afford some opportunities.

In 2017, SF 49ers general manager John Lynch fleeced the Chicago Bears by moving down from the No. 2 overall spot in that year’s NFL Draft to No. 3 overall, accruing some much-needed draft capital for the team’s rebuild while landing the player he wanted all along, defensive end Solomon Thomas.

While the Thomas pick didn’t exactly work out to desired expectations, one of the bonuses from the one-spot move was adding a 2018 third-round selection that was eventually used on All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

So in that regard, Lynch still fleeced the Bears.

Not including compensatory selections, which will be announced later this year, the Niners are poised to have eight picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. The team is expected to land two comp picks, one in Round 3 and another in Round 5, making the total at 10 overall. And while it’s always flashy to move up in the draft, Lynch has a tendency to trade down instead of up.

One might expect San Francisco to do more of the same on draft day.

Perhaps more important than landing a high-impact player or two in the draft will be netting role players on cheap rookie contracts. From that perspective, adding to the crop of first-year players will be essential for the SF 49ers to continue any sort of roster success.

As such, let’s break down some possible trade-down scenarios Lynch and the Niners may try to engineer with their top pick, No. 12 overall, in this year’s draft.