The San Francisco 49ers don’t want to take the best available players and then wait two days to draft again.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers have significant interest in shaking up the roster in order to gain more draft capital. The 49ers do not have any picks in Rounds 2-4, but own the No. 13 and No. 31 overall pick.
“49ers fielding calls on both their first-round picks, No. 13 and No. 31 overall, and are open to dealing either or both picks, per league sources,” tweeted Shefter. “After 31, 49ers not scheduled to pick again until No. 156 in fifth round. No second-, third- and fourth-round picks. Want more picks.”
One may argue that the 49ers have a deep roster; however, there is limited cap space moving forward, which makes the low amount of draft capital a concern.
The 49ers own an impressive track record in drafting, which includes defensive end Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and linebacker Fred Warner. The 49ers would be foolish to ever doubt the 48-year old GM John Lynch.
If the 49ers can’t take care of their draft capital, there are other options.
“From talking to teams around the league 49ers want to clean up some cap issues and have made Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander along with Goodwin and Tartt available for trade,” via NFL insider Michael Lombardi, “Will they get takers? Not sure but all four names are on the available list for the right price.”
Despite being a key member of the defense, the 49ers would love to have extra money. One team that could take on Alexander’s future earnings is the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints are expected to use the No. 24 overall pick on a linebacker anyways, so why not trade for a real NFL-caliber player. The 25-year old would cost the Saints a first-round draft pick, so the 49ers could jump on that opportunity.
That would give the 49ers three first-round picks for this year’s draft, which could allow the team to package them for either moving up, or additional picks in the middle rounds.
We could hear a lot of news within the next couple of days.