Stand pat or trade down? Why 49ers are still weighing NFL draft options
49ers general manager John Lynch was asked by two different reporters Monday about the position his team finds itself in heading into Thursday’s start of the NFL Draft.
With just two picks in the first five rounds, how will the defending NFC champs try to balance finding prospects that could contribute to a Super Bowl contender right away while also replenishing the roster’s depth to remain competitive for years to come?
“That’s a really good question that we’ve been wrestling with,” said Lynch before noting the COVID-19 crisis is likely to prevent rookies from having an in-person offseason program to acclimate to their new playbooks.
“And I know I’m not giving you a great answer because we haven’t quite figured it out,” he said.
Lynch, during a 40-minute video conference call, answered questions from his temporary war room in the guest house of his Bay Area home. Like all NFL general managers, Lynch will be confined to his house while the league conducts the draft virtually because all teams’ facilities are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lynch has some 10 monitors set up around his desk, along with three land-line phones (he said he doesn’t trust his cellphone’s reception) pre-programmed with numbers from AFC teams, NFC teams and other members of the 49ers’ front office, respectively. His screens will feature the team’s draft board, the live draft telecast, game film and personal notes on prospects.
Lynch will also have a one-on-one Zoom conference chat set up throughout the draft with head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Likely atop their list of discussion points: stand pat with their two first-round picks at Nos. 13 and 31, or trade down for more selections because their picks in rounds 2, 3 and 4 were traded away in the Dee Ford and Emmanuel Sanders deals.
San Francisco has seven selections total, with five coming in Round 5 or later, which makes it likely the 49ers move down from one or both of their top picks for more bites at the apple in a draft that’s considered deep in the second and third rounds.
Not surprisingly, Lynch said the team is open to trading down from both spots, at the right price, given the 125-slot gulf between their second and third selections. Their next pick after their late first-round choice is No. 156 all the way down in Round 5.
Lynch’s phones have been busy.
“I think we’re open to trading,” said Lynch. “I’m comfortable saying that we have, we’re currently and we will right up to the draft, let people know there’s scenarios where we’d be open at both of those picks, to moving back. It’s out there for everyone to see. ... With those picks, there’s a big gap in there.”
Lynch and Shanahan will try to thread the needle of finding replacements in the draft for Sanders, who signed with the Saints, and star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who was traded to the Colts for the No. 13 pick, while also finding players who could develop into starters down the road.
Most notably, the team could look for an offensive lineman to eventually replace tackle Joe Staley, whom Lynch is optimistic will return in 2020, or cornerback to develop under Richard Sherman, who’s entering the final year of his contract along with Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams and Emmanuel Moseley.
In all, the 49ers have pressing needs at receiver, defensive tackle, cornerback and offensive line, while they could use depth at tight end, defensive end, safety and perhaps add another running back.
Of course, the further San Francisco trades back, the harder it will be to find a surefire player the team could depend on to replace key figures like Sanders or Buckner.
“I think the way we have to look at it,” Lynch said, “we lost a special player in Buck, a foundational type player, so if you can find a foundational player at 13, that’s something you have to weigh. Can you find two more foundational players later on? I don’t think you pass up on a guy that you think is a difference maker at those spots. And we’re going to be prepared in both those instances.”
Lynch revealed there are roughly six players he and Shanahan have identified as “foundational players” that could be had at 13. But that also means there’s a chance all six could be off the board by the time the team picks which could call for a trade down.
Teams like the Broncos, picking 15th, and the Falcons, 16th, have reported interest in moving up. Denver has 12 picks total, including three in Round 3 and two in Round 4 after getting third- and fourth-round picks from San Francisco in the Sanders swap.
On the surface, the 49ers could be fits for any of the top three receivers, Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), Henry Ruggs III (Alabama) and CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma), defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina) or cornerback C.J. Henderson (Florida), who might be in range at 13.
Which means there’s plenty of intrigue and a bevy of options for San Francisco picking 13th. It’s a stark contrast to last year when Nick Bosa proved to be a slam dunk selection with the No. 2 overall choice.
“Even at 13, which is a relatively early pick, there’s so much that can go on, so we’re prepared for all scenarios, open to listening,” Lynch said. “But we’re prepared that if we’re convicted at those spots, we’ll stand pat and deliver the pick.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Stand pat or trade down? Why 49ers are still weighing NFL draft options."