49ers NFL Draft: 3 helpful trades John Lynch could make
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers trade up in Round 3 in a deal with Raiders
San Francisco has only two picks, currently, within the top 100. And if you subscribe to the notion the bulk of high-impact talent will inevitably be found within this area, it would make some sense to see John Lynch try getting up from the compensatory selection the 49ers have, No. 103 overall, to some point towards the middle of Round 3 and well within that top 100.
Inevitably, a number of first- and second-round ranked players end up slipping each and every year. And while the “best player available” strategy applies for many teams regardless of need, this approach certainly starts to hit hard in the third round anyway.
There are going to be some high-quality fallers dipping into Round 3 regardless, yet hoping for a starting-caliber cornerback or edge rusher slipping to the 103rd overall pick is risky at best.
Yet Lynch has five day-three selections at his disposal, and some of those could easily be used to move up towards the middle of the round in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Las Vegas already has back-to-back picks in Round 3, the first coming in at No. 80 from the Arizona Cardinals, so the Raiders still have an easy chance to land whichever prospect they think will be there.
But with a roster full of holes following an 8-8 finish, head coach Jon Gruden still needs all the ammunition he can get to find quality depth and potential day-three gems.
The Niners, meanwhile, can feel much better about landing a prospect with much better starting-caliber potential without having to be too aggressive by shipping off highly coveted draft capital.