49ers free-agent moves hint at trading up in NFL Draft

The 49ers’ recent onboarding of Wayne Gallman, Arden Key and Maurice Hurst help bolster depth, meaning some trade-ups in the NFL Draft are possible.

Forget about the San Francisco 49ers solely focusing on their efforts in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.

The Niners engineered some low-risk moves earlier this week, bringing aboard running back Wayne Gallman while also signing former Las Vegas Raiders defensive linemen Arden Key and Maurice Hurst. These aren’t high-profile signings, although Gallman admirably filled in for the New York Giants in the wake of running back Saquon Barkley’s early ACL tear in 2020.

Key and Hurst may not make the 53-man roster. It’s hard to say and entirely contingent upon whether or not either can turn around their respective careers after falling short with the Raiders.

Yet there’s a deeper hidden storyline worth exploring behind these moves so late in NFL free agency and immediately before the draft, which Forbes’ Vincent Frank pointed out:

More on that in a second. But let’s point out a few things about San Francisco’s current roster.

With Gallman in tow, the 49ers now have him, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., JaMycal Hasty and Austin Walter at running back. That’s a deep crop. And while it doesn’t rule out the possibility of adding another tailback in the NFL Draft, it certainly lessens the pressure of needing to.

Same with the two defensive line additions of Key and Hurst.

The 49ers now bolster a deep D-line unit, and Key and Hurst are intended to add to the depth behind the presumed starting four of Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw and Samson Ebukam. On the interior, Key and Hurst join another offseason addition, Zach Kerr, along with nose tackle D.J. Jones.

Simply put, there’s a good deal of depth there, too, and the need to draft a reserve interior lineman just dissipated.

Currently, with Key and Hurst now aboard, the Niners have 83 roster spots filled out of a possible 90 on their offseason roster. While there will be some fluid movement, particularly on the back end, one should note there aren’t exactly a lot of holes to fill.

Particularly with San Francisco’s nine current selections in the draft.

49ers in position to trade up at various points of NFL Draft

Getting back to Frank’s point, the 49ers don’t have to focus too much on bringing aboard nine new prospects in this year’s draft. They could, of course, particularly if they feel anyone is an upgrade over currently rostered players.

But they don’t have to. That’s the point.

The Niners addressed depth needs by doing all this. Yet they still have the following picks in the NFL Draft:

1. Round 1, No. 3 overall (from Dolphins via Texans)
2. Round 2, No. 43 overall
3. Round 3, No. 102 overall (compensatory)
4. Round 4, No. 117 overall
5. Round 5, No. 155 overall
6. Round 5, No. 172 overall (from Saints)
7. Round 5, No. 180 overall (compensatory)
8. Round 6, No. 194 overall
9. Round 7, No. 230 overall (from Jets)

San Francisco already engineered a major blockbuster trade-up to No. 3 overall. But there’s an awfully good chance now general manager John Lynch moves up yet again, perhaps even multiple times in subsequent rounds.

Frank’s hope of a move back into Round 1 is surely possible, perhaps even a good idea. Yet it would seem moving up from the 49ers’ compensatory third-round selection by using one or more of the five day-three picks would be much easier and make more sense.

Particularly if the Niners want to dive into what’s considered a deep class of wide receivers or offensive linemen.

A thinner class of cornerbacks and a questionable group of outside pass-rushers could prompt that trade idea back into Round 1, and the lesser depth needs after signing Gallman, Key and Hurst help free up those mid- and late-round picks to be used as trade-up ammunition.

Does it happen? It’s anyone’s guess.

But Lynch’s pathway to do so, potentially to land a high-impact player who otherwise wouldn’t fall to the 49ers’ current draft spots, just became a lot easier.