3 scenarios where 49ers trade up in 2022 NFL Draft

49ers Trade Scenario No. 3

Writer’s Note: In this trade, the 49ers have traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Pick No. 52 in a hypothetical trade.

Why it works

Former defensive coordinator and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh does the 49ers one more favor and sends No. 35 (worth 550 points) for pick Nos. 52, 93 and 185 (worth 523.8 points combined). It’s slightly undervalued for the Jets, but they have a lot of holes on their roster, so the more picks the better.

The obvious value here is the Niners get to hold onto their pick No. 61 here. In this scenario, Jimmy Garoppolo has been traded to the Steelers and that pick gets flipped onwards.

So, essentially, this is Jimmy G and the aforementioned picks for No. 35.

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The Jets get their picks banked in to help bolster their roster, and the 49ers have two good picks in the second round (and a third-round compensatory pick that hasn’t been traded) to help plug holes in the roster.

Potential targets for 49ers

The fun game to play with a pick like this is which potential first-round players fall here? Christian Watson could complete San Francisco’s receiving corps, adding some speed and a familiar face for quarterback Trey Lance. Jalen Pitre also could easily fall here.

Other corners include Andrew Booth from Clemson or Roger McCreary from Auburn. If the 49ers want to find a replacement for EDGE Dee Ford, however, the amount of talent at the position could force someone like Logan Hall from Houston out of the first round and into the laps of the Niners.

There are a lot of avenues San Francisco could take. It has plenty of picks but a great roster that doesn’t need much tinkering.

With the capital a Garoppolo trade will bring, the 49ers could easily make some moves in the draft.