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.
Trade No. 1: 49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo, a pick to Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of options to replace the now-retired future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady, yet none of them seem too desirable.
Rolling with 2021 rookie signal-caller Kyle Trask is a gamble, and it would be almost foolish to try maintaining the Bucs hold on the NFC South by re-signing journeyman backup Blaine Gabbert.
Perhaps Tampa Bay decides to see what it has in Trask. But, with the rest of the NFC South in some sort of rebuild mode and no other teams within the division boasting a long-term option at quarterback, the time is now for the Buccaneers to stay aggressive as long as they can.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been mentioned in speculative discussions about potentially being moved to the Bucs this offseason. While a first-round pick straight up might seem too steep for Tampa Bay, the 49ers could potentially sweeten the deal by including that third-round compensatory selection awarded in the wake of the Mike McDaniel hire.
A year ago, the Niners used a similarly awarded comp pick in the wake of former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh becoming head coach of the New York Jets.
The Buccaneers are picking towards the tail end of Round 1, yet San Francisco wouldn’t have to sacrifice any of its previously inherited day-two picks, essentially moving Jimmy G and getting a first-round pick in return.
McDaniel leaving, too, of course.
Trade No. 2: 49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo to Steelers, use picks to get into Round 1
Let’s get a bit creative, and we’ll do so with the understanding the aforementioned deal doesn’t pan out all at the same time.
Like the Buccaneers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to replace their now-retired quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. With an array of offensive skill players and one of the league’s best head coaches, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is arguably the best possible landing spot for Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
A mere second-round pick for Jimmy G sounds a bit cheap, particularly in a weak offseason market and with the realization quarterback Sam Darnold was traded by the Jets to the Carolina Panthers a season ago for a second-, a fourth- and a sixth-round pick.
Read More: Comparing Jimmy Garoppolo trade value to other quarterback trades
Garoppolo, for all his limitations, is vastly superior to Darnold, so the Steelers bite and send off their Round 2 selection this year, No. 52 overall, plus next year’s second-rounder to the 49ers for Jimmy G.
That’s the ammunition John Lynch and Co. use in a deal with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who currently is projected to have just five picks in this year’s draft.
Belichick might be eyeing quantity this offseason, and the Niners using their array of newly acquired picks from Pittsburgh, plus their own Round 3 selection, might be enough to convince the Pats to trade down.
Trade No. 3: 49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo, use other picks to trade into Round 1
San Francisco might end up being pleased with its return from a would-be trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, one which could possibly wind up netting picks in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, provided some team is willing to offer up a significant package.
With the likelihood of that team drafting ahead of the 49ers, and John Lynch now armed with a surplus of picks on day two, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Lynch to send off the team’s own selections in Rounds 2 and 3, including a 2023 second-round selection, to the Tennessee Titans, who are armed with the No. 26 overall pick but won’t select again until the tail end of the third round.
For Lynch, whose roster is fairly well constructed but needs an influx of one or two high-caliber players in this year’s NFL Draft, going with quality over quantity would make a lot of sense.
The Titans, meanwhile, are projected to be over $7 million above the 2022 salary cap, meaning they could face some challenging roster cuts and will need to infuse some youthful talent on the roster.
That could translate into needing more picks, subsequently adding more rookie contracts.
Meanwhile, the Niners add a first-round selection to the fray, while Tennessee rearms itself with plenty of chances to land young and cheaper prospects.