© Kirby Lee | 2020 Jan 19
One of the flaws of mock drafts is they usually don’t take into account trades, something that happens with great regularity in the early rounds. For example, of last year’s 32 first-round picks, 20 were made by teams that did not own the original selection.
With that in mind, Bill Barnwell of ESPN did a 180 in his latest piece, constructing an all-draft mock draft, doing his best to guess how every team would package their first-round selections. For the 49ers that meant two hypothetical trades, both at No. 13 and No. 31. The 49ers don’t have another pick until the fifth round, however, making this exercise less hypothetical than it would be for other teams. It seems very possible that San Francisco will try to package at least one of those picks for a handful of mid-rounders.
At No. 13, Barnwell believes the 49ers best bet is to do a deal with the pick-rich Miami Dolphins, and use disappointing former second-round selection Dante Pettis to sweeten the deal, also adding a mid-round selection in 2021.
Trade with Miami Dolphins
49ers get: 1-26, 2-56, 5-154, 2021 third-round pick
Dolphins get: 1-13, WR Dante PettisThe 49ers have two first-round picks but don’t pick again until Round 5 (No. 156). They’re almost surely going to trade away at least one of those two first-rounders for multiple selections to recoup some of the picks they traded away.
The Dolphins have more picks to work with than any team, and assuming they use the No. 5 pick on a quarterback, this would be a move up to grab a left tackle or one of the top wide receivers in this class before their other first-round selection comes up at No. 18. They would also be taking a shot on Pettis, who was publicly buried by Kyle Shanahan last season and might need a change of
At No. 31, Barnwell has the 49ers dealing with the Jets, a team looking for elite talent at a handful of positions. Via Barnwell:
Trade with New York Jets
49ers get: 2-48, 3-79, 5-158
Jets get: 1-31Wide receiver? Tackle? Cornerback? The Jets need help just about everywhere, so while they could hold on to the extra pick they received from the Giants for defensive lineman Leonard Williams, this would be a move to go and grab someone who might be an immediate starter at one of those spots.
The Niners don’t have second-, third-, or fourth-round picks, so trading down gives general manager John Lynch & Co. something to keep busy with in the middle rounds.