10 superstars 49ers could have drafted but unwisely didn’t

49ers 2020 draft re-do

Actual pick: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina – Rd 1, Pick 14

New pick: Don’t trade back and select Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa – Rd 1, Pick 13 (Tampa Bay)

OR

AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson – Rd 1, Pick 16 (Atlanta)

Going after a 2020 draft pick this soon may seem a bit premature, but given the situation under which Javon Kinlaw came to be a 49er, it makes sense to revisit the moves that were made.

And, no, it doesn’t start with not trading DeForest Buckner, because that feels like a sad but unavoidable direction the 49ers had to go to keep other players around. That’s the unfortunate nature of professional sports.

From there, the move to trade back from No. 13 to No. 14 with Tampa Bay makes sense in a vacuum. The Niners added a fourth-round pick (No. 117, which they eventually traded to Minnesota) and flipped for the pick that become Brandon Aiyuk.

On the surface, having Aiyuk certainly is a plus for the current version of the 49ers, but given what this exercise has landed (Stefon Diggs, Jarvis Landry, Terry McLaurin) at wide receiver, there’s a chance that the position wouldn’t be a need in 2020 after all.

If that were the case, trading back to get Kinlaw makes no sense, and with Mike McGlinchey not in place at right tackle, adding Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to hold down that spot would be the ideal move to make in place of Kinlaw.

But even if the trade is still made with Tampa Bay, it still makes less sense to bring in Kinlaw than a player at another position who wouldn’t have to live up to being a Buckner replacement. So instead of a defensive lineman, San Francisco would go cornerback in the form of Clemson standout A.J. Terrell, who has been solid in two seasons in Atlanta.

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The former Tiger had a good rookie season, playing in 14 games and grabbing an interception, breaking up seven passes, and combining for 74 tackles. But he was even better in his second campaign, adding three interceptions, 16 passes defended, and 81 tackles to his tally en route to a second-team All-Pro nod.

Yes, Terrell’s availability matters. No, the book isn’t written on Kinlaw. But at this juncture, it feels like the team would have benefited more from having Terrell on the field as opposed to the promise of Kinlaw.

There’s still time for that narrative to turn around, but either Wirfs or Terrell appear to be on track to be better and longer-term pros at their positions than Kinlaw may at his.