The news is still fresh that Alex Smith has reportedly been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the next step in the reporting chain is figuring out just what the 49ers might have gotten in return for their former No. 1 pick. There is a lot floating around, but here is a bit of an idea of what we're seeing.
Tim Kawakami was the first to report possible compensation, suggesting a 2013 second round pick and a "similar pick" in 2014:
An NFL source says that the framework of the deal is that the 49ers will get a No. 2 pick this year and a similar pick in the 2014 draft.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) February 27, 2013
There have been a few speculative tweets since then, but Adam Schefter offered the firmest follow-up
Chiefs traded second-round pick, the second pick in the second round, to SF. Niners also got another conditional mid-round pick in 2014.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2013
Personally, I would have been happy with just a second round pick. The Chiefs second round pick is the second in the round, as they swap back and forth with the Jaguars. Add in the potential for a mid-round 2014 pick, and it's safe to I'm just slightly over the moon for this deal.
If we go with the speculation that the 49ers are getting the Chiefs second round pick, that gives them five picks in the first 93 of the draft. It would also mean 15 picks in the 2013 NFL Draft when you add in compensatory picks. The 49ers are not going to draft 15 players in this year's draft, so we can rest assured the team will do some wheeling and dealing.
This kind of draft pick haul provides the 49ers with a ridiculous number of options.
If the 49ers want to move up, they could climb high in any round. They don't necessarily need to climb into the top five or ten picks of the first round, but if they see a guy they desperately want, they have the picks to do a deal.
If the 49ers want to move down, they could set themselves up quite nicely for 2014 and beyond. They have made such moves in the past, adding a future first for a current second. If another team has an eye on somebody in particular, why not deal a second for a future first if possible?
The 49ers are in a position to do almost anything they want with this draft. This makes the 2013 NFL Draft all the more important. It is great to have all these picks, but the team has to make sure and execute on their plan. They have shown strong skills when it comes to that, so I am obviously prepared to give them plenty of benefit of the doubt.
Whatever happens in two months, it is a wildly exciting time to be a 49ers fan. The team has a strong nucleus in place, and they have the picks to further add to that nucleus. Yes, Trent Baalke has done a decent job as general manager.