49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo in this 7-round mock NFL Draft

Round 3, Pick No. 96 Overall (from Patriots): 49ers select defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, TCU

Yes, here’s the point where San Francisco’s trade of Jimmy Garoppolo kicks in.

And not too surprisingly, perhaps, the 49ers send Jimmy G back to his former team and head coach, Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.

Belichick would engineer a shrewd deal, of course, definitely not sending back a Round 2 pick, which is what the 49ers had to give up in 2017 to land Garoppolo in the first place. But the Pats’ compensatory selection in 2021, along with perhaps another mid-round pick in 2022, could be enough to get the deal done.

In doing so, the Niners clear more than $23 million of Garoppolo’s salary with minimum dead money, while the Patriots’ NFL free agency reload puts them in a position to immediately compete for a playoff spot after missing out in 2020.

With this newly acquired pick, San Francisco still seeks out help for its secondary, looking at TCU defensive back Ar’Darius Washington.

Washington, 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, has size concerns. But he was more than a quality last-line-of-defense option for the Horned Frogs the last two years. And like K’Waun Williams, Washington plays bigger than his frame would indicate.

The 49ers could then consider using Washington as a nickel cornerback, too, eventually replacing the soon-to-be 30-year-old Williams once his one-year deal expires in 2022.