5 draft prospects 49ers trade back into Round 1 for

49ers Trade-Up Target No. 1: S Trevon Moehrig, TCU

There’s excellent depth for both wide receivers and edge rushers in this year’s NFL Draft, and many wideouts to be had on day three could be legitimate contributors. Cornerback, too, has some solid options on the first two days as well.

Yet the same can’t be said of prospective safeties, and it’s a relatively thin class here.

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TCU safety Trevon Moehrig is widely viewed as one of the top safeties in this year’s draft, and the thinness of the depth at this position likely keep him from falling into Round 2. And it’s entirely likely he winds up going in the early 20s if not sooner.

Moehrig, 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, is a player the 49ers would prize. For starters, Moehrig is extremely versatile, capable of lining up as a single-high deep safety with great range but also boasting the size and strength necessary to play closer to the line of scrimmage down in the box. A team like the Niners could use Moehrig as a big-nickel defensive back, too, depending on alignment.

San Francisco has its starting safety tandem in place for 2021 with Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt. But Tartt is back solely on a one-year deal, and both he and Ward, unfortunately, have a lengthy injury history. Their backups, Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris, haven’t shown the knack for being true starting-caliber replacements either.

Moehrig isn’t just someone who could eventually take over for a player like Tartt in 2022. There’s a chance he could push him for the starting job right out of the gate.

And that might be good enough a reason why the 49ers would consider trading back up into Round 1 for the TCU standout.