John Lynch hasn't been the King of Round 1 of the draft in recent years, and the San Francisco 49ers' draft record proves that. In 2020 he took Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk, in 2021 he sent the farm to move up for Trey Lance, and he took Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster in his first draft as GM.
So if the ghost of Day 1 continues to haunt the 49ers, it isn't far-fetched to suggest they should trade out of the first round entirely. 27th overall isn't a major drop to the top of the second round, so if someone wants to trade up and secure a fifth-year option on Ty Simpson, they'll call San Francisco.
Here's the thing though: there really aren't that many teams who could be involved. The New York Jets at 33 and potentially the Pittsburgh Steelers with all of their Day 2 capital are the frontrunners, but would Lynch pick up the phone if Monti Ossenfort and the Arizona Cardinals are on the other line?
The Arizona Cardinals might call the 49ers to trade up for Ty Simpson
In addition to their third overall pick, the Cardinals boast the second pick in the second round at 34th overall. It's only a seven-pick drop for the Niners to likely draft someone on the first-round borderline anyway, so at the right price, Lynch would be foolish to not to at least consider moving down from 27.
Here lies the problem. You don't help your division rival land a potential franchise QB, even if the trade stands to benefit you. When the New York Giants traded up into the back-end of the first round in 2025, they traded with the Houston Texans, a team that plays in the opposite conference. The same goes for when the Baltimore Ravens traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to get Lamar Jackson.
This probably gives the Jets and Steelers a leg up on Arizona, but Mike LaFleur will still try given the relationship between him and Kyle Shanahan. The chance to throw Simpson into a situation where he'll be throwing to Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson will be too much to pass up, so the Niners cannot be complicit in making that happen.
However, Simpson is already 23 and has only one season of experience starting at Alabama, so he is no guarantee to hit. It's hard to feel justified in drafting a QB with only one season of tape in the first round, especially when he isn't that mobile and is looked at by most fans as a second-round talent.
After trading their third-round pick to the Cowboys for Osa Odighizuwa, the Niners boast just two top-100 draft picks despite having four fourth-round picks. So if they can move down and recoup some Day 2 capital, that would be a smart choice, but doing so because of a division rival is odd.
This is still the Cardinals we're talking about. The ugly step child of the NFC West. If there's one team where the 49ers know this move will come with the ramifications of allowing the Rams to find a Matthew Stafford heir apparent for instance, but this is one where Lynch must proceed with caution.
With that in mind, Lynch must be blown away by an offer to even consider making a move like this, as the 49ers would be putting a lot on the line.
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