SF 49ers: 3 trade-downs John Lynch may engineer for NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers take advantage of Steelers quarterback needs
So much of this depends on what happens with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this offseason.
Will he retire? Should he retire? And what are Pittsburgh’s contingency options if he does?
The Steelers are in salary cap hell this offseason, so they likely won’t be overly willing to give up a ton of draft picks. But if they wind up in need of a quality quarterback and someone like North Dakota State’s Trey Lance slips down to No. 12, it’s feasible the SF 49ers could take advantage of Pittsburgh’s situation.
The AFC North is taking over as the league’s toughest division. With the Cincinnati Bengals on the rise, thanks to quarterback Joe Burrow, the Steelers now find themselves in an arms race with playoff teams like the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, too. Getting someone like Lance could potentially keep them in the hunt for the long run.
Especially with a still-elite defense.
In that regard, giving up two second-round picks, one this year and another in 2022, wouldn’t set Pittsburgh back too much, and the Niners would still manage to stockpile some much-needed draft capital while still having an inside edge on some top non-quarterbacking talent in Round 1 of this year’s draft.