The start of the second day of the 2011 NFL Draft is a little over an hour away with the New England Patriots going on the clock at number 33. The 49ers first pick of the day is the 13th pick of the round, which is No. 45 overall. However, a look at their remaining draft picks reveals a team in prime position to make a move UP the draft board if they are so inclined:
1. 2nd round, No. 13 (45th overall)
2. Third round, No. 12 (76th overall)
3. Fourth round, No. 11 (108th overall)
4. Fourth round, No. 18 (115th overall, from San Diego in 2010 draft-day trade)
5. Fifth round, No. 10 (141st overall)
6. Sixth round, No. 9 (174th overall)
7. Sixth round, No. 25 (190th overall, from Seattle for DT Kentwan Balmer)
8. Seventh round, No. 8 (210th overall)
9. Seventh round, No. 30 (230th overall, from Detroit for QB Shaun Hill) (Jets original pick in the round)
10. Seventh round, No. 38 (238th overall, compensatory)
11. Seventh round, No. 49 (249th overall, compensatory)
There was some discussion about the 49ers trying to move down from their seventh pick early yesterday, and Charley Casserly indicated on the NFL Network at some point today that the 49ers had actually tried to get back into the first round late yesterday. Who knows how accurate his information is, but if he is correct, then the team had its eye on some of the falling talent.
If you have a few minutes you can check out the draft value chart the drastic decrease in value between upper first round picks and upper second round picks. The draft value chart is not absolute gospel, but it does give us a range with which to work in assessing how easy or difficult it would be for a team to move up from their current station. As it currently stands, here are some estimated "values" for the remaining 49ers picks:
1. Second round, No. 13 (45th overall) - 450 points
2. Third round, No. 12 (76th overall) - 210 points
3. Fourth round, No. 11 (108th overall) - 78 points
4. Fourth round, No. 18 (115th overall) - 64 points
5. Fifth round, No. 10 (141st overall) - 35.5 points
6. Sixth round, No. 9 (174th overall) - 22.8 points
7. Sixth round, No. 25 (190th overall) - 15.4 points
8. Seventh round, No. 8 (210th overall) - 7.4 points
9. Seventh round, No. 30 (230th overall) - 2.4 points
10. Seventh round, No. 38 (238th overall) - Compensatory pick, can't trade
11. Seventh round, No. 49 (249th overall) - Compensatory pick, can't trade
To get to the top pick of the second round (worth 580 points), you'd need to deal the 49ers second, and two fourths to make the math work. Of course, since this is not an exact science, the team does not necessarily need to hit that 580 points. That's just for the mathematical purposes of this exercise.
If the team really likes Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick, a trade into the first five or six picks of the second round would seem very likely. However, if they don't do that, I still think we could see the 49ers make a move into the end of the second or third round if they see a guy they like. It is a lot easier to make that kind of move when you've got an excess of day three picks. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but few teams are in a better position than the 49ers to make such a move.