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2012 NFL Draft: Should the 49ers Consider Trading Up?

AUBURN AL - OCTOBER 23:  Rueben Randle #2 of the LSU Tigers pulls in this touchdown reception against Josh Bynes #17 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 23 2010 in Auburn Alabama.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
AUBURN AL - OCTOBER 23: Rueben Randle #2 of the LSU Tigers pulls in this touchdown reception against Josh Bynes #17 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 23 2010 in Auburn Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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The Combine is right around the corner and draft season is in full swing, to be sure. The most popular position of need being discussed with regards to our beloved 49ers is wide receiver (WR). Most of us feel that if we had a "stud" WR on the roster we could go even further. Alex Smith's deep balls would have a higher percentage of being completed with a guy who can get up and fight for the ball, even if underthrown. A player with sure hands would also help stabilize a WR corps that saw it's fair share of drops in 2011.

The "bad news" is that this draft is not deep in top-tier WR's. It's believed that there are four really good prospects that will likely go early in the draft, then there's a significant drop-off. Granted the second-tier guys are still good players, and it's not like the NFL world has never seen a guy rise above his draft position, but you can't go to sleep at night feeling like all of our problems at WR are solved with a mid-round pick.

That being said, I think it's time for the 49ers to start thinking about trading up. Steve Berman, the Bay Area Sports Guy, wrote an article about how Michael Floyd would be the perfect WR for the 49ers with his size, strength, speed and hands. Floyd doesn't have elite speed, but for a 6'3" guy who's also very strong and surehanded, he can run quite well.

Floyd figures to be one of the first WR's taken in this draft along with Baylor's Kendall Wright, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and LSU's Rueben Randle. All of these players could go as high as the top 15, making them likely out of the 49ers reach. Floyd however has some legal incidents that somewhat affect his value. Still I don't feel he would slide to the 30th pick, which is essentially the top of the second round.

The question is: If it starts to become clear that one of the top WR prospects won't be available at pick 30, should the 49ers trade up to get one?

If you really feel that this is a different/better team with the addition of a true playmaker at WR, then the answer should be yes. What would you give up and how far would you move in order to get a player like this? Which guy would you pick?