I'm interested in the poll results on this one, so please vote and explain your feelings on this improbable scenario.

We've all heard the talk of teams wanting to trade down this year to save money, but I'll make one case for the Niners trading up in this year's draft. My preference would still be to trade down from #10 to the teens, but it appears far more likely that a team wishing to trade up would rather get a 5-9 pick if they're going after Sanchez/Stafford. This brings me to the purpose of this FanPost... Aaron Curry.

Aaron Curry is simply the best football player in this draft as of today. We've gone through the benefits and drawbacks to taking all of the college DE's who fit the 3-4 OLB physical mold, but if we're going to be honest none of them comes remotely close to the level of Aaron Curry at OLB in the NFL. Aaron Curry is a complete linebacker who can play both inside or outside, has the strength and size to shed linemen, has the speed and agility for coverage, and has the discipline and mindset that Singletary would covet.

The Rams have already gone public stating that they want to trade down from #2, but surely other top 5 teams are thinking the same with the $30-50M contract that a top 5 pick will command. This might be the cheapest year to trade up because there is so little demand and teams will have to take a discount to get out of a top slot. Every team in the top 5 is going to be dangling their pick this year and practically daring a team to open their wallet to get elite talent.

Let's look at some possible trade partners:

Rams #2 overall for Niners #10 and 2010 1st round

Chiefs #3 overall for Niners #10, #42, and 2010 3rd round

Seahawks #4 overall for Niners #10 and #42

Obviously the first scenario doesn't look too appealing, but the Chiefs and Seahawks picks could provide some value. The Chiefs don't have a 2nd round pick and have already had private workouts with players who fall in the late 1st to early 2nd round range... not a coincidence. I strongly doubt Curry falls beyond pick #5 unless the Lions take Stafford AND another team trades up to get a QB. 

Here's how I believe the draft is shaping up as of today:

1 DET: QB Matthew Stafford or OT Jason Smith

2 STL: OT Jason Smith or OT Eugene Monroe

3 KC: DE Brian Orakpo

4 SEA: OLB Aaron Curry

So the question becomes... is Aaron Curry more valuable than the options likely to be available at #10 and #42 OR would you rather spread the risk with two players who may be 1st round caliber talent but may not make as much of an impact as Curry would?

Please vote for the option you would prefer. (For the record, I'd prefer to trade down but I believe that Aaron Curry could indeed provide more value than the options at #10 and #42 depending on the first 9 picks in the draft.)