3 trades John Lynch, 49ers could make to get into Round 1 of NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers don’t have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but John Lynch could get creative and trade back into Round 1.
The San Francisco 49ers are without their own first-round pick in the NFL Draft for the next two seasons, 2022 and 2023, thanks to last year’s aggressive trade-up to land quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall.
The Niners would have selected 29th overall, a pick now owned by their previous trade partner, the Miami Dolphins. As things stand now, general manager John Lynch won’t be making a selection until Round 2 with the 61st overall pick.
But there are a few caveats that could potentially convince Lynch and the front office to act aggressively once again, especially if there’s a must-have prospect the team feels won’t slip into the second round.
For starters, San Francisco will receive a compensatory third-round pick after former offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, a minority hire, signed on with the Dolphins to be their next head coach.
On top of that, Lynch and Co. will be shopping quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. In what’s shaping up to be a thin quarterback market for QB-hungry teams, it’s possible Lynch and the 49ers will wind up with some additional draft capital.
Currently, the Niners’ projected picks for the 2022 NFL Draft look like this:
- Round 2, No. 61 overall
- Round 3, No. 93 overall
- Round 3 (compensatory)
- Round 4, No. 130 overall
- Round 5, No. 170 overall
- Round 6, No. 186 overall (from Broncos)
- Round 7, No. 251 overall (compensatory)
- Round 7, No. 254 overall (compensatory)
- Round 7, No. 260 overall (compensatory)
Lynch might be feeling aggressive, and he hasn’t been shy about moving around the draft order previously.
With that in mind, here are three trade scenarios San Francisco could explore to get back into Round 1 of the 2022 draft.